


Stray

by 3phemeral



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-14
Updated: 2014-11-14
Packaged: 2018-02-25 08:15:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2614736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/3phemeral/pseuds/3phemeral
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Where will Inuyasha go when all the humans he knew are gone? Kagome's last words give him some idea, and he tracks down one of his only comrades left - Kouga.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: The Last Gift

**Author's Note:**

> MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH is in this prologue! And it's the only one.

The lantern light flickered in the corner of the temple. The silver-haired hanyou knelt over a silver-haired woman laid out on a mat on the hardwood floor, a woman he'd fought with, even fought alongside. A woman he'd loved, for a very long time.

"You knew this day was coming," she said, voice low and wavering with a slight crackle.

"Don't talk like this, Kagome. You'll be fine."

"You've made me so happy, all these years." She reached a wrinkled hand up weakly, caressing his still-youthful face. Youthful, but slightly aged nonetheless. His jaw was more chiseled, his face slightly longer. She'd lost all sense of age, really - aside from her own - in this world of semi-mortals. "You have so much life left, Inuyasha." The hand pulled away briefly and shook as the aged miko coughed.

Inuyasha put his hand over hers. "And you do too!" He furrowed his brow, forcing the emotion and truth he knew was starting to well up inside him. Sixty years of marriage is impressive by human standards. Hell, Kagome even living this long was impressive. "Don't give up, dammit!"

Kagome smiled weakly and closed her eyes. Dammit, not so quickly! "I'm too old to fight anymore," she said. There was no hint of sadness in her voice. Inuyasha found her confidence unnerving.

"Kagome!" He lowered her hand in front of his chest and clasped both of his around it. It was cold. And she still smelled alive. Her chest still rose and fell under the thick red kimono laid over her and the lighter clothing she wore underneath. He hoped her eyes would open again. That glimpse couldn't have been the last one he'd ever-

"We talked about this," she began, curling her bony fingers around his hands. "We talked about this so many years ago."

"It's too soon!"

Kagome smiled once more, the twinkle he felt in her smile making up for the light he knew was still hidden in her eyes. Tonight couldn't be the night. It just couldn't! "For you, maybe. I've lived a life so full and so long, so much more than I could have possibly dreamed of when I was fifteen..." She paused, and her breathing hitched and brow furrowed briefly before she coughed.

She took a couple shallow breaths and opened her eyes, still bright but serious. "Down here, Inuyasha," she said quietly, motioning for him to come closer. He obeyed, leaning on his hand. She lifted her head, and he briefly kissed her cool lips. In that moment, she lifted the loose yet immovable collar that had been around him for so long.

Inuyasha was not one to often cry. He could count the number of times he'd done it on one hand, but not anymore. Wetness pooled in the corner of his eyes as he felt the constant, familiar, yet negligible weight of the beads removed from his shoulders. "Kagome..."

She set the beads aside and stroked his hair as she gazed into his eyes. He looked into hers, hoping that by doing so they would be kept from closing again. He almost shook her when she blinked slowly. "Inuyasha, you deserve to be loved your whole life, too."

"Kagome, don't!"

"Inuyasha, listen to me," she said, and would have yelled if she could. She lowered her hand to her side, resting it atop Inuyasha's. His lip started quivering, and she mustered her last bit of strength to finish her plea without losing composure in her voice. "This will keep happening to you, over and over again, if you keep falling in love with humans. First Kikyo, then me. Do this for me - find yourself a good demon, okay?"

"I could never love-"

"Yes. Yes, you can. And you will. And I want you to. You've got a long way to go, Inuyasha, and I don't want you to be alone. Our love, for me, has been everything love for a human can be. You were so good to me..." She coughed again, and her eyes delayed once more in opening. "You have every blessing I can give you. You should have a lifelong love. I want you to find someone that can provide that for you, because-" Her voice caught in her throat. "Because I can't."

The tears traced over Inuyasha's cheeks and around his jawline before falling to the kimono below. "Kagome, I love..." She'd already said everything he could. "I wish we could have made us both demons so we could have been together forever."

She smiled and gave a short laugh. "Silly dog," she said. "You know we couldn't have done that. If we had, we couldn't have had the life we did. We did the right thing. For everyone, for the whole world. It's a better place without that stupid Jewel."

"I... I guess."

"No, you know."

He smiled, then his lips pressed together. "Yeah..."

"Inuyasha, my love," she began, "I can't anymore. I'm sorry, I have to..."

He nodded, kissed her once more, and rested back on his knees, taking her hand in his and bringing it to his face, nuzzling it. "I'll never forget you. I won't stop loving you either."

She smiled again. "I know. Thank you, so much. I have no regrets." She coughed again, and he thought he faintly smelled blood though he could see none. He squeezed her hand and held it close, hunching over. She squeezed back. "I was always happy, always. Even when I wasn't, I was. You took care of me, you stayed with me even as I grayed and wrinkled. Thank you..."

He resigned, and simply held on. Her eyes drifted shut and her breathing became more labored and short. Before long - his best estimate was hours, though it was likely minutes - she took one last deep breath, a mysterious smile crossing her lips, and the corners of her mouth relaxed as it weakly escaped her lungs.

She didn't breathe back in, and Inuyasha fell forward, kissing her forehead and resting his on her chest. He'd already stopped crying.

After hours more, hunched and still, thoughtless, there was a soft knock on the door, followed by Shippo's shrill and cracking voice. "Inuyasha?" And it felt to the hanyou like he'd woken up. Suddenly, Kagome felt lifeless. Suddenly, it was the afternoon. Suddenly, other people existed.

"Yeah?" he asked in response.

"Is... Is everything...?"

"It's done."

The door slid open slowly. "C-can I come in?"

"Yeah."

The soft steps of the fox demon's paws padded across the floor. His face was distraught, hands wringing. "Oh, Kagome..."

"Yeah."

"We should get... I mean, we need to have-"

"Yeah."

"Miroku will know what to do."

Inuyasha nodded.

"I... I'm so sorry, Inuyasha. I know she meant so much to you, to me, to all of us."

"Yeah." He quickly caught the polite apology. "Thank you, Shippo." Inuyasha looked down and finally realized he was still holding her hand. It was cold before, but it was a lively cold. It just didn't feel like her anymore. He wanted to let the hand go, but he couldn't. He knew it would be the last time he would be able to. Like the beads, it had always been there; such a pleasant weight, such closeness, such comfort.

While lost in thought, his body decided to act on impulse and he released it, resting it quickly on her chest. Shippo had backed out of the hut and left. He'd be back with Miroku soon. Inuyasha stood somehow - it felt like he simply floated to his feet - and he walked out into the village. It just wasn't the same anymore.

\------

So I mourned her.

Over the next few years I mourned other friends.

I couldn't take the village anymore and I wandered alone. I cleansed my heart so as to enshrine her there. As with Kikyo, I acknowledged my love for her, giving her the fond place in my past she deserved. I found peace, free to love again and honor her with that love, as the person she honed me, as a blade, to become.

She was right in what she said about Kikyo and herself. And to not obey her, to remain alone, would dishonor her. But as she also told me several times; as you get older, you stop making new friends, so you have to keep the ones you have.

Well, they've grown fewer no matter what I do. Only Shippo and Kouga are left. What's more, if I wished to seek out my own kind - or half-kinds, either of them - I will only be pushed aside. 

My options are so limited. I feel trapped, paralyzed, like I am once again pinned to that tree. It's as though she never freed me in the first place.

But her eternal happiness will only be secured when I find mine. It is her last gift to me. I can't give up, for her sake.


	2. Stand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inuyasha's mourning comes to an end, and he finds himself dragged before the leader of the pack. Oh, and her husband.

(5 Years later…)

The quiet constant roar of the waterfall was a mantra in the back of Kouga's mind as he sat, cross-legged, on his straw dais overlooking the cave that was the wolf-tribe's den. Next to him, Ayame also sat stoic, the exuberance of her younger years nowhere to be seen. Dealing with matters of politics wasn't Kouga's strong point, but as the leader of the merged North and East Wolf Demon Tribes, it was a necessary evil.

" Lord Kouga?" asked a wolf demon kneeling on a lower shelf of the cave.

Kouga shook himself out of his stupor. "Yes?"

"What should we do?"

"I'm sorry?"

Ayame chimed in, her gaze fixed forward. "About the humans encroaching on our grounds for the upcoming hunting season."

"Thank you, Ayame." Kouga recalled the facts of the matter. A human village had been founded a few years prior on one of the wolf tribe's rotating yearly hunting grounds and they were using the land for their own sustenance. He had tabled the issue, and now he could run from it no longer, as the occupied grounds were unhuntable. Damn politics, indeed.

He answered, as he knew he always would. "We skip the grounds and move to what should be next year's. It's an unfortunate loss, but these things happen." Ayame quickly glared at him. "The other lands will still replenish."

"Kouga…" Ayame whispered. "You can't."

Kouga looked briefly at the ceiling. She was right. He hated when she was right. "But I will meet with the elder of their village to bring about an agreeable compro-"

Ayame whispered more sharply. "Kouga!"

"…to bring about their withdrawal before the hunt begins."

The demon bringing the issue bowed his head. "Thank you, Lord Kouga."

"What's next?" Kouga's voice rang clear across the cave as the other wolf rose and left. Another wolf demon took his place and kneeled.

"Lord Kouga, we have captured an intruder!"

"An intruder?"

"A dog, from the smell of him. Also a strong scent of human. He struggled with our guard wolves, but we have him in custody now."

Dog and human? No, it couldn't be… What was he doing here? "Where was he captured?"

"The cliffs further down the river," the patrol wolf demon responded.

"How much longer until-"

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME!" The familiar yell of the dog demon echoed into the cave. Kouga rolled his eyes. The yelling grew louder as Inuyasha got closer.

"I WAS HEADING HERE ANYWAY! WHAT THE HELL, SENDING YOUR WOLVES AFTER ME WITHOUT EVEN ASKING WHAT I'M DOING? OW! YOU DON'T SEE ME FIGHTING YOU, DO YOU?"

"We'll see what our leader says!" the other patrolman yelled as they passed behind the falls and into the chamber. Inuyasha's hands were bound in front of him as he was led to the center, the patrolman flanked by two growling wolves. Inuyasha growled in kind. The wolf demon gave the hanyou a good shove, pushing him to his knees. He was a familiar sight – the fire-red jacket and hakama cinched at the ankles, silver hair, dog ears, fiery yellow eyes, clawed fingers – and it finally struck Kouga that he had no idea how to react to this.

He defaulted to a smirk, along with the attitude that accompanied it. "Well, what do we have here? A stray mutt come whimpering to me? I believe my invitation was extended only to Kagome, not to you."

"I ain't whimpering! And Kagome's dead!" he snapped.

Both paused, staring sternly at each other. Kouga stood proudly, eyebrows narrowing as the news set in. Ayame sat silently beside him. Little whimpers to either side of him reminded him that Ginta and Hakkaku stood guard there. "Nee-san..." he heard them mutter.

"Unbind him," Kouga ordered. The wolf demon below cut the ropes around Inuyasha's wrists and he stood, pushing aside the helping arm of the patrolman. "Come with me." Kouga exited through a doorway out of the main cavern. A narrow stone ramp led from the cavern floor to the dais, and Inuyasha jumped down from the platform and climbed to the upper level and past the other wolf demons.

"Next!" Ayame yelled, as another member of the tribe knelt on the lower level.

\-----

Inuyasha passed through a curtain and arrived in a secluded round room lit by torches, a bed of many pillows arranged neatly over a layer of fresh straw. Kouga stood in the center of the pile facing the far wall. "Feh. You're sure living the life, aren't you?"

"I am their leader. It's hard work - I've earned it." Kouga turned - stern, which surprised Inuyasha - hands on hips. "So what happened to her? Why didn't you protect her?"

Inuyasha arched his eyebrow, a shocked expression on his face. "You think I didn't... You think there was... She was 80, you mangy bastard!"

"So?" Kouga glared.

Inuyasha glared back, still stunned. He gathered himself and stood defiant. "Alright, I'm sorry I even came here. I thought you deserved to know. That's the last time I-" do anything for you... Can't lose the friends I have left. His stance loosened. "I thought you deserved to know, that's all."

Kouga relaxed too, and smiled weakly. "You know, I don't even need her anymore. Haven't for a while."

Inuyasha was taken aback. What the hell was with this back and forth? "You better not! You've got Ayame now anyways!"

"Listen, I didn't love Kagome. Never did. Now that I married Ayame, I know that. You two seemed so... complete together. Deeply. I only had use for Kagome. I only have use for Ayame. But I've never had what you two had."

Inuyasha was really confused now. This was Kouga? The same Kouga? "You gone soft or somethin'?"

Kouga sat on the pillows and motioned for Inuyasha to join him. He did. "It's not easy for me to show weakness, to be honest. I'm trusting you, Inuyasha, because your friends always did, and rightfully so."

Inuyasha continued to look quizzical. "What's this about?"

"You destroyed the jewel. It was complete, which means I wasn't. I'm not as strong as I used to be. I hold my power simply because I am unchallenged, and because I married Ayame. Tradition, my legacy, and my confidence are my strengths, but it's getting tiring wearing this mask all the time."

Inuyasha crossed his arms. "Nice speech," he scoffed. "So you're saying if I want to rule this place, all I gotta do is kick your a-"

Kouga lunged across the bed, baring his fangs, and tackled Inuyasha backwards, claws digging into his arms, pinning him to the floor. His face hung inches over Inuyasha's.

"I've let you into my den, opened up to you, and all you do is bark about deposing me? Look, I know why you're here. Kagome, Miroku, Sango - they're all dead now. You have nowhere else to go. So if you want my hospitality, in this room you will drop this attitude. Outside, strut your stuff all you want. It'll get you some respect at worst. But in this room, you will level with me."

After letting his words sink in, Kouga pushed back onto his haunches and stood.

Inuyasha sat again and crossed his arms, looking disdainfully off to the side. "Feh, I'll do what I want."

"Inuyasha!" Kouga barked at him.

The pair glared at each other amidst another heavy silence.

"Fine," the dog demon acquiesced.

"You've got a good heart. Loyal. I've always respected you for that. You only get so many true friends in your life – brothers - and I want to be able to count you among them. How long do you intend to stay? The night? Two? A week?"

Inuyasha stood and straightened, eyes shifting as he responded. "Ah, I was hoping... much longer than that?"

"A month?"

"I need a place to stay. I can't go back to the village. Too many painful memories there. I can't go back to the dog demons - they would never welcome me. Your tribe has become more tolerant since you took over, and you've been a capable ruler. If you have a place here for me, something I can do, I would hope to live and work here, find a mate among your people, and find my happiness here."

Kouga crossed over to him, clapping a hand on his shoulder and guiding him toward the main chamber. "We'll see what I can find. I'm sure I can work this out. For now, you can stay in the visitor's chamber."

"Thank you."

"I'll get Ginta and Hakkaku to show you around." Inuyasha nodded.

Kouga laughed. "And you may be in the wrong tribe if you're looking for women. We primarily do our breeding with other tribes so there aren't many single ones here." They entered a rocky corridor lined with torches winding up to the dais and down to the rest of the den. They headed back toward the dais.

Inuyasha smiled. "If you don't love Ayame, then she's free, though, right?"

"Whoa, don't go there." Kouga warned. Inuyasha laughed. Kouga stopped them. "I'm serious! She has a consort, and they've mated."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. He'd been doing that a lot, he realized. "And she's married to you?"

"Yeah. Complicated, isn't it?"

Inuyasha shrugged it off. More tolerant indeed! "Whatever."

"Let's go." Kouga continued leading them upward.

"You never mated with her?"

"Shut up!"

"I mean, when she was in heat and all over you, you never once thought..."

"SHUT UP!"

Inuyasha laughed. It'd been years – so many years – since he'd done that. He'd forgotten what it was like. It was as though he felt his age in demon years for once and not in human years. It felt nice. It felt good. It felt right.

It felt like he just might be home.


	3. Speak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Negotiations? Sending Inuyasha and Kouga sounds like a GREAT idea!

Inuyasha and Kouga sat on one side of the short wooden table, shins flat on the bare floor of the meeting house. On the other sat an older man, skin seeming to droop as loose as the robes that clothed him. Behind him sat a small group of other men that comprised the rest of the village's council. For the first time that day, silence hung over the room as both parties considered the map that lay between them. The moment passed and the elder stood, back still hunched, tone held even so as to give the visitors no advantage.

"Well, alright. We'll consider your proposal."

The demons rose and bowed. "Thank you," Kouga said. "And we'll reconvene…?"

"In a moment," replied the elder. "We'd like to confer among ourselves privately."

"Of course," Kouga said with a nod, and turned to his companion. "Inuyasha?"

The hanyou nodded to Kouga, then the elder, and followed the wolf out into the street.

The afternoon sun had started to yellow, and the shadows that lined the road were growing long. The days were shortening, and winter would be arriving soon. Inuyasha wondered how Kouga was faring with just his pelts and chest armor in the chilling weather. Kouga wondered how long it would be before his people stopped causing cleared streets and shuttered windows. No sooner would they pass a house than down the street a mother grab her child indoors or the father clutch a weapon to his side.

"Feh," Inuyasha spat.

"And what's that for?"

"Boring and stuffy. You pulled me away from the den for this?"

"You were laying around and moping," Kouga said. "For weeks. Looked pretty boring already if you ask me."

"And you think this is exciting?" Inuyasha scoffed.

"In a way. Borders are being contested, the lifestyle of my people is in danger – that room, that table is the new field of battle!"

"Feh. I never did like Go."

"What?" 

"With the board and the little stones?" Kouga's blank look said all the demon needed to and Inuyasha waved it off. "Never mind. I know I sure as hell couldn't teach you, and no one would want to play it with you anyway."

Kouga arched an eyebrow. "Okay?"

Inuyasha sighed and changed the topic. "So what do we do now?"

"We wait, keep walking around," Kouga offered.

More silence hovered, the quiet streets unsettling Kouga greatly. "So tell me, why did you fall in love with Kagome? What was that like?"

Startled, Inuyasha paused in his step, casting a sidelong glance at Kouga. "Where'd that come from?"

"You have a better idea?"

"…No."

"Well then?" Kouga grinned as he pushed the subject.

Inuyasha sighed. "It's not like I expected to. At first it was because she was so much like Kikyo."

"And then?"

"Hm?"

"You said 'at first.'"

"Oh." Inuyasha paused to gather his thoughts. "Well, in the end, they weren't really similar at all. Kagome was more... true. Who she really was. There was stuff hidden beneath Kikyo's caring surface, and Kagome wasn't like that. She was like me. She acted what she meant, good and bad. She wouldn't always tell me why she was upset, but she sure let me know she was."

Kouga nodded. "I see what you mean."

"So it's not like that for you, then? With Kagome or Ayame? You've never felt that toward anyone?"

Kouga laughed out loud. "It's really tense in the den, Inuyasha. Rebuilding the tribe, watching my back... The closest I come are Ginta and Hakkaku. I trust them, and rely on them, and with them it's never about politics. But I don't think it's quite the same."

"As long as you at least have someone like that. Helps you know who you are, you know?"  
"...yeah."

"I do miss that. Though hell, here I am talking about this with you, so at least that's something!" Inuyasha laughed, offering a half-grin as a gesture of friendship.

Kouga rolled his shoulders as they walked, unbothered. "Really, I wouldn't worry about it. I know where to find females, and you've grown a lot since we met." 

"Same goes for you. I'm shocked you don't have a mate yet."

"Let's say I haven't found anyone unfettered, without ulterior motives, to suit that kind of... deep relationship."Kouga knew he needed to be less succinct.   
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "'Deep' relationship? What's that supposed to mean? You've had a lot of shallow ones?"

"Survival, Inuyasha," Kouga began, sobering. "I have to provide for my people, a job I cannot do if I have no people. It was largely me, Ginta, and Hakkaku, and the two of them mated a long time ago. Someone had to repopulate us. The northern tribe's inclusion helped, but the marriage to Ayame was limiting, too - a wife is a bit of a stigma. And I guess a part of me was waiting for someone like you had in Kagome. I just... haven't. I was jealous of you, I guess." He laughed. "It's not the first time I've wanted what's yours. First your woman, then your marriage."

Inuyasha furrowed his brow. "What DO you have against me, anyway?"

"Nothing. At least not against you personally. You've had things that anyone would want, not just me," he said dismissively, giving a toss of his hand.

"Feh. Look where it's gotten me, though. I'm still out peddling for company." Inuyasha crossed his arms and hunched his head slightly as he walked, that infamous pout flaring as he fixed his gaze on the ground.

"Nah. You're here now. We'll get you on your feet," Kouga responded, his tail flicking as he walked.

"If you say so." Inuyasha scoffed and shook his head as he followed his friend, whatever that meant for them.

The road had worked its way full circle around the village, and no sooner had they returned back to the meeting hall entrance than one of the younger men opened the door.

"Lord Kouga?" he asked, and the murmur of voices behind him died down as the council became aware the demons' return.

"Yes?"

"The council has reached its decision."

Inuyasha's head snapped to Kouga, and the wolf looked back, raising his eyebrows. "Here we go."  
\-------

Kouga punched the floor beside his knees. "So what, you're telling us we came here for nothing?"

The elder spoke evenly, confident of his upper ground. "On the contrary, we greatly valued your input and listened-"

"Listened so intently you heard NONE of the sense of our proposals?" Kouga yelled.

"We gave them…" The elder averted his eyes as he answered. "…due consideration."

"Due consideration?" A growl underscored the comment as his gaze flicked to the guards and back. "My people have held this land for centuries!" His thighs tensed as his body raised off his shins.

"And now it is our land," the old man replied quickly, sharply.

Kouga growled. "Says who?"

"We do," the elder answered surely and slowly, head held high in the face of Kouga's rising temper.

Kouga sprang to his feet, his hand snapping to the grip of his sword. "Kouga!" Inuyasha barked. Metal sang at the door when the guards drew their own swords. The dog demon and the other councilmen stood, reaching for weapons as Inuyasha put an arm in front of Kouga. The elder sat quietly.

"Everyone, stand down!" Inuyasha commanded. Kouga didn't know he could do that. "If this was a fight, this town would've been destroyed by now. You're lucky you have demons trying to negotiate with you." The councilmen sat down, and it took a glare from Inuyasha to get Kouga to do the same. He continued. "If you wish to deny the wolves the right to their hunting grounds, and you refuse to give them a portion of your goods as payment, then you are inviting a cutoff of your supply routes." Kouga looked quizzically at him.

The elder scoffed, dismissive in his arrogance as he looked up at Inuyasha. "Is that a threat? You'll starve us?"

"Remember your place. Very outmatched." Inuyasha crouched and hunched over the table. "You'll be the ones starving yourselves. We're giving you a chance. Your village is surrounded by wolf land"-He motioned to the map-"on all sides. They can and will take what they need. You don't seem to understand who actually holds the power here. They know the woods. They have the instinct for survival."

The elder glared at him, the other councilmen fidgeting uneasily behind him. "And your wolves have other hunting grounds. You can survive elsewhere. You've said so yourself."

"Until when? Until humans have taken all their other lands and the wolves starve to death? No one is foolish enough to think there won't be more like you. And you can either be the one to broker the peace between humans and demons or be the one to carve the split between them deeper in stone. And that's a powerful enemy you'll make." Inuyasha sat serenely in his place before the elder, arms crossed again, his easy confidence as he delivered the ultimatum enough to make a few of the councilmen eye one another.

"Ha!" the elder laughed heartily. "Powerful, you say? That's just like you demons, resorting to violence."

"Feh!" Inuyasha scoffed. "Spare me! What hand have we raised against you?"

"None. Yet. Yet you promise you will."

The hanyou's neck craned forward as he glared. "I promised we would embargo your trade roads. I said nothing about violence."

"Which would cause us to starve. It may not be violent, but it achieves the same result," the elder sneered.

Inuyasha collected his thoughts. "If you want the lives of all your people on your hands, that's not my problem. Kouga's taking responsibility for his. He's still trying, hell if I know why, to reach a peaceful solution to this mess. What other city can't house you, on some other land? And what do you have to lose from open trade with the wolves? A constant meat supply for your village is possible by trading goods, long-standing peace between your peoples is on the table, and that's not to mention the protection for your village the wolves would provide being their trading partner. And you want none of this?"

"We can hunt this land for ourselves and get our meat that way. We can defend ourselves from outsiders like you just fine. Don't make me prove it."

"Now that's what I call resorting to violence," Inuyasha quipped.

"Get out." The elder stood abruptly, and his council followed. "Now."

Kouga rose, standing rigidly, fists clenched. "Let's go, Inuyasha." He turned and started for the door.

Inuyasha stood still for a moment. "Yes, Kouga," he said, and followed the wolf demon out.

Back on the street, Inuyasha sighed and looked to the sky as he caught up to Kouga. "So, back to the den?"

"Not much else to do."

"They're not going to like what happened."

"No, they won't," Kouga replied, crossing his arms. "And the consequences for the humans will fall where they may."

"You don't think it'll call your competence into question?"

"I had to convince my men not to attack the village in the first place. They'll likely be glad they're free to do so." Kouga sighed. 

"You're not worried about how this will look to the rest of the humans?"

Kouga glared at Inuyasha. "What are you talking about? Since when have I ever cared about that?"

"Well, sorry!" Inuyasha scoffed sarcastically. "What happened to the guy excited to do battle with his words? Who's gonna listen to you if they don't respect you or your people? You just saw how uphill the fight is as things are now! Imagine how much harder it'll be after you start preying on them!"

"If they fear us, they respect us." Kouga's lip curled as his gaze strayed to the council's hut,"Besides, we've survived this long on our own. We don't need that land. We have other hunting grounds. We'll just take this territory out of the cycle like I planned all along."

Inuyasha looked concerned as the pair left the village's limits and entered the forest. "But like I said in there," he said, gesturing back, "the humans will keep encroaching."

"Then we keep running."

"Feh!" Inuyasha closed his eyes, crossed his arms, and raised his nose. "I guess losing the jewel shards in your legs didn't hinder your ability to do that after all, did it?"

Kouga's head snapped around. "Don't talk to me like that."

His nose still raised, he opened an eye and looked out of its corner at Kouga. "Why? I'll say whatever the hell I want! If you want to kick me out because of it, you're more than welcome to. I'll find somewhere else to live. I don't need you."

That condescending pose Inuyasha struck raised Kouga's hackles, but he was right. And even if he wasn't, he had quite a bit of confidence – more than Kouga had. It was admirable. He had to find some way to strike back, though.

"You have to stop running, Kouga. Before long, that den'll be the only land you have left, and it's not good for you guys to be stuck in one place like that."

Kouga knew how petty his bite back was, but didn't care. "You know what? You're just too worried about what others think."

"Do I sound like I'm too worried about what others think? I just told you I'd leave if you didn't like what I said. And my whole life has been a fight for respect from everyone, and if your plan is to make them fear you, that's the worst of all, trust me. At least you have a people. At least you have a homeland - for now, anyway. Welcome to my life. I think I know what I'm doing."

Kouga's brow narrowed at the lecture and he grunted. "And you showed up on my threshold because that was working out well for you?"

Inuyasha finally lowered his head. "Point taken."

There. He admitted defeat first. "As is yours," Kouga conceded.

"So how do you move forward?"

"We work together, somehow. The two of us can't both be right and wrong at the same time."

"So what does that entail? I'm just staying with you. What could I possibly do?"

Kouga nodded in self-affirmation. "You'll be my advisor. You'll keep me from running. You've been living with humans for years. You know how they think."

Inuyasha smirked and narrowed his eyes. "So I'm valuable to you, huh?"

Kouga arched an eyebrow. "Of course! So?"

"Like Kagome was?"

Kouga rolled his eyes.

"Like Ayame was?"

As Inuyasha pressed his questions, they echoed in Kouga's heart. "Inuyasha..." Kouga lightly asserted, inserting as much quiet gruffness as he could muster. Mustn't… overreact…

"And you know what that means…" Inuyasha trailed off musically.

"INUYASHA!" he barked. Indeed, Kouga did know. And it was nagging at him the last couple days, stalking him, encircling him quietly. Inuyasha just sounded the attack call.

It meant he was developing feelings for the mutt.

Oh, he knew Inuyasha was attractive from the moment they first met. Anyone who can't size up their opposition from the start, especially in matters of the heart, doesn't deserve to be in the hunt. The half-demon's baggy getup could only really hide so much. Strong hands, slender wrists, sinewy neck, narrow waist, pronounced ankles – hallmarks of good mating material, and Kouga's mind filled in the gaps covered by fabric. He knew he didn't really stand a chance against – or with – the hanyou, but it was admirable watching Inuyasha fight for Kagome, time and time again. Watching him get jealous, defend her, protect his friends – no, the entire land! He was the kind of figure people tell stories about to tell their children to teach them how to act. They'd probably leave out his gruffness and the dismissive aggression in his humility, but those weren't the important things regardless of how endearing they were once you got to know him.

"Sorry," Inuyasha said, straightening.

Kouga fumbled for some kind of explanation. "Kagome was about greed. Ayame was about survival. And I need you for that too, but the difference is I didn't really care about her." Had to close the curtain. "Besides, you feel more like a kinsman." But leave it open just a crack… "Like Ginta and Hakkaku. I need more of that, you said so yourself. And with them mated off, it feels a little empty, you know?"

"Believe me, I know."

Wrongness washed over Kouga like a thick fog and stopped him in his tracks. What was that? He took a defensive stance, darting his eyes about.

Inuyasha drew closer and scanned ahead himself, hand at Tetsusaiga. "What is it?"

"Something's not right."The quietness of the forest was thick with unease and desperation, like cornered prey. .

"Like what?"

"I smell..." Kouga sniffed at the air. "Fear? No... And not malice..."

"Anxiety?"

"Yeah." Kouga slowly straightened. Inuyasha followed suit. "On edge. Just a hint of it." He clenched his fists once more. "Your job may start right now."

"What's going on?"

"I can't know until we get closer. But keep Tetsusaiga close. Word of our return would've been relayed by the border guards by now, and it's making people nervous for some reason."

"But we were only gone for a couple days."

"Sometimes that's all it takes."

"All what takes?"

"An uprising. But with this much anxiety…" Kouga sighed, exasperated. "I'd suspect a challenge." Both of their minds whirred with plans of action.

"Kouga-sama!" Hakkaku's voice cut through the Ginta and Hakkaku emerged from the forest slowly and huddled together. Once they were in the clearing, Kouga and Inuyasha saw that Ginta was leaning on Hakkaku like a crutch.

"Kouga-sama, it's horrible," Ginta said, coughing.

"It's terrible! Ayame-dono-"

"Her mate, he-"

"He's sitting on your throne!"

Kouga growled. "Damn it."

Hakkaku continued. "You have to face him when you return."

"I tried to stop him, but he's too big," Ginta said.

Kouga took a deep breath, then puffed out his chest and stretched his shoulders back. "Alright." He rolled them and stood straight again, hands on his hips.

"Alright, what?" Inuyasha asked.

Kouga turned his head to look at him, a vulnerable look betraying his confident stance. "You're right. I've got to take care of this."

"How? He's practically twice your size." Inuyasha quipped, hand still resting on Tetsusaiga's hilt.

"Thanks for reminding me…"

"Well, he is."

Kouga smiled weakly. "I do have an idea, though..."

Inuyasha cocked his head to the side, ears perked. "Well?"


	4. Heel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A challenge awaits Kouga... Can the group regain control of the den?

As dusk settled, Kouga and the group approached the den. Despite the failed negotiations in the human village, he stood tall, chest out. Inuyasha walked behind his right flank, and Hakkaku and the hobbled Ginta kept up behind him.  
  
\-------  
  
 _The waterfall of the den was still far off, but the sound of it underscored the song of the cicadas and crickets starting in the forest as the sun grew slightly lower in the sky. Kouga, Inuyasha, Ginta, and Hakkaku huddled around and spoke softly to each other._  
  
 _"Well," Inuyasha began. “What’s your plan?”  
  
Kouga took a clearing breath. "Okay. Obviously, each of us are physically outmatched, so we'll have to outwit him..."_  
  
+++++++  
  
The guards standing outside the waterfall entrance already looked somewhat nervous, but after recognizing who was coming they hung their heads low, averting their eyes and apologizing.  
  
"Stand aside!" Kouga ordered, with a wave of his hand.  
  
They parted and the four passed into the darkness of the cave.  
  
\-------  
  
 _"Right!" Ginta said quickly. He paused as his mind tried piecing things together.  "...How will we do that?"_  
  
 _"We'll need to do some scouting first," Kouga said.  
  
"No we won't," Inuyasha countered. "This is all posturing. Your reign, your society - all of it! We'll be able to tell a lot from the lay of the land as we approach."_  
  
 _"How so?" Kouga asked.  
  
"We just have to read everyone's faces when they see you. If they smirk and laugh at you, then you know you're in trouble," Inuyasha answered matter-of-factly.  
  
"Oh, that helps," Kouga scoffed sarcastically. "I'm expecting my own people to be laughing at me."  
  
Inuyasha shook his head and let out a frustrated sigh. "Or you could actually HAVE a little confidence and expect them to be sorry. Ashamed. If that happens, we've got a much better chance."_  
  
+++++++  
  
Kouga's confident stride gave him the opening move as his eyes adjusted to the torchlight inside and looked around. Inuyasha scouted the situation as well. A quiet whisper rose from the other wolf demons gathered in small groups scattered about the various levels chamber.  Their murmurs mingled with the roar of the falls as all eyes fell on the return of their leader. Ginta and Hakkaku hobbled off to the side and disappeared into the crowd. Ayame sat on her calves up on the dais, silent except for the victorious smirk on her face.  
  
“Kanta!" Kouga yelled. "Show yourself and face me!"  
  
“I’m right here!” the other wolf’s voice boomed from the high dais as he sat up from reclining and rolled into a crouch, bulging muscles tensed. He jumped down and landed in front of Kouga with a low cloud of dirt, then stood over the shorter wolf with his fists balled on his hips. Being the reigning female’s mate, he wore clothing above the usual other male getup. While Ginta and Hakkaku wore no headband or fur on their arms – instead wearing armored bracers – Kanta was entitled to both, the former supporting the hair that came to a point up and forward from his scalp and the latter consisting of two of the smaller wristbands. His dou – the torso armor - was fastened over his left shoulder with the usual fur sode attached to the strap covering it, and with the way the upper edge of the dou curved across and around his chest, his right shoulder and chest remained exposed. “While you were away playing your little sissy games with the humans, I figured I’d take charge and actually get something done!”  
  
“What I was doing wasn’t getting something done?” Kouga growled, clenched his fist, and held his stance as he glared up into Kanta’s eyes, watching for a flicker to indicate the larger wolf choosing which part of him to target.  
  
“It was too little too late. You didn’t attack them head-on at the beginning,” Kanta said with a dismissive quick upturn of his nose.  
  
Kouga laughed.  
  
\-------  
 _“Okay, so if they aren’t ashamed and are against me, I’m done for anyway. If they are ashamed and I get in, what then?” Kouga asked in the huddle.  
  
“First of all, it means you still have the people’s support. He’ll be acting on his own. So what kind of guy is he? I mean, I know he’s big, but what else?” Inuyasha asked in return.  
  
Kouga pondered this. “Well… he’s pretty charismatic.”  
  
“So are you,” Inuyasha pointed out.  
  
“He’s also impulsive. And stupid,” Kouga finished. “He’ll say and do things without thinking them through.”  
  
Inuyasha grinned. “He’ll make his own mistakes, then. There’s no doubt about that. You just have to wait for them, jump on them, and turn them against him. Let him make your case for you. The throne isn’t yours to win back, it’s yours to lose. But…” Inuyasha trailed off.  
  
“But what?” Kouga asked._  
  
+++++++  
  
“And you will attack them head-on? You waited until I was gone to challenge me!” Kouga grinned, satisfied. A couple wolves in the chamber gasped, while some others chuckled softly.  
  
Kanta turned his head and glared down at Kouga. He folded his arms across his chest. “It’s still a challenge.”  
  
“You think everyone is just going to listen to you if you win?” Kouga asked. “Do you think all you have to do to be the leader is have the title?”  
  
“Do you think they’ll have a choice when they see what I do to you?” The whispers of the crowd briefly turned to worried gasps, then silence as Kanta stood chest-to-face with Kouga, the smaller of the two maintaining his confident façade.  
  
Kouga gulped.  
  
“I told you,” Kanta said, “I’m not one to stand around and talk!” Kouga caught the shift in Kanta’s eyes and started to crouch just as the larger wolf pushed him back, sending the challenged ruler sliding back across the cave floor. Inuyasha backed up and stood against the wall at the cave mouth. The battle had officially begun, and the other tribesmen shifted, muttering and restless.  
  
Kouga steadied himself on his haunches and coiled his legs to pounce. Kanta lowered into a ready posture himself and lunged. Kouga leapt back and quickly sprang forward, bringing his leg around to kick at Kanta’s face. The challenger crossed in front of his face to block the punch, his feet barely sliding on the dirt as he absorbed the blow. He swiped back, but Kouga had landed a safe distance away. He bounded up to the smaller wolf and threw a jab at his face with his right arm, but Kouga dodged to the side and spun low to sweep Kanta’s legs. Kanta saw the counter coming and rocked back on his front foot, letting the shifting momentum help him swing his off-hand down and back in the way of Kouga’s leg. He caught the sweeping ankle and wrenched it hard, sending Kouga sprawling on his stomach. He leaned over to better grapple the leader with his punching hand, but Kouga kept his own momentum going, turned his body the rest of the way around, pulled up his other knee, and caught Kanta firmly in the chest with a kick from his free leg.  
  
The force was enough to get Kanta to let him go, but as Kouga rose to his feet, he was met with a fist to his cheek. It spun him around but he landed in a crouch and jumped backward again toward the entrance, putting some distance between himself and Kanta.  
  
\-------  
 _“You might have to take a couple punches.” Inuyasha said.  
  
“A couple punches I can take,” Kouga said. “But much more than that from Kanta, I can’t be sure.”  
  
“Nah, a couple should be all we need. That’s where I come in.”_  
  
+++++++  
  
Inuyasha stepped forward in front of Kouga and drew Tetsusaiga, the tattered old blade made long, thick, and sharp. “Alright, that’s plenty enough of that,” the hanyou declared. “If you want to get to Kouga again, you’ve got to go through me first.”  
  
“Get out of the way, mutt!” Kanta yelled, cracking his knuckles as he closed the distance between himself and Kouga, “This is not your fight!”  
  
“Actually, I think it is,” Inuyasha said, raising Tetsusaiga’s point and putting it on line with Kanta’s throat. The demons murmured louder.  
  
“No, it’s not!” Kanta insisted.  
  
“Says who?” Inuyasha asked.  
  
“Says everyone!” the challenger hissed, swinging his hand in a sweeping gesture at their surroundings. “It’s the way of our people, and there’s nothing an outsider like you can do about that! You can’t interfere with an official challenge!”  
  
“’Says everyone,’ huh?” He glanced around to make sure the tide of the crowd had not turned. “You know, you’re the only one to have a problem with Kouga. No one else here has challenged him. Ever.”  
  
Kanta laughed, a hubristic grin playing across his lips. “No one else here is as strong as I am.”  
  
“No one else here is as stupid as you either,” Inuyasha snapped. More snickering rose from the surrounding wolves. He knew he had to finish this fast, or things could get truly ugly. Mixing the increasingly volatile crowd with an even more volatile Kanta was a recipe for disaster.  
  
\-------  
 _“You can’t do that,” Kouga said. “It’s a challenge. That’s against the rules.”  
  
Inuyasha grinned. “What rules?”  
  
Kouga raised an eyebrow. “The rules of succession…”  
  
“Written by?”  
  
“Wolves everywhere. For centuries.”  
  
“But those rules weren’t the demons’ rules,” Inuyasha pointed out. “You’re all wolf plus something else. You’ve got reason, too. Meeting humans changed you all, and I’m sure you’ll see it on the guards’ faces.”_  
  
+++++++  
  
“You think your strength will give you the power you want," Inuyasha began. "I’ve met so many people in my life who believe that. Oh, they had it for a time, but before long everyone that knew them grew to dislike them. You know what happened next?”  
  
“I don’t care,” Kanta replied with a shrug. Good thing it wasn’t Kanta he was trying to convince, at least not yet.  
  
“Well, I’ll tell you anyway,” Inuyasha continued. “The people band together and overthrow them. Every time. The humans are doing it every few years now. Their shoguns are overthrown by a new, stronger alliance. You can’t do it alone anymore. Not for long. Not forever.”  
  
The rumbling of the wolves in the den grew louder. Kanta growled.  
  
“If you kill Kouga, I swear to you I’ll raise up the army myself to take you down.” Inuyasha  
  
“Me too!” a voice broke through the crowd: Ginta’s.  
  
“Me too!” Hakkaku sounded from the other side of the cave.  
  
Kouga stood and grimaced at Inuyasha as everyone else in the cave echoed the lovers’ sentiment. Inuyasha gave a slight shrug.  
  
\-------  
 _“Fine,” Kouga assented. “So you’ll step in, and then?”  
  
“Just leave the talking to me,” Inuyasha answered. “You can join in when you feel like it. You’ll know when.”  
  
“Ooh! Ooh!” Hakkaku chimed in. “What can we do?”  
  
“Yeah!” said Ginta.  
  
Kouga spoke up. “If this is about keeping the crowd with us… You should do the same. Wait for a good opening and join in with Inuyasha.”  
  
“With any luck, this’ll be over without any blood being shed,” Inuyasha said.  
  
“So we have our plan?” Kouga asked. “Is that it?”  
  
Inuyasha nodded. “We have our plan.”  
  
Kouga straightened and stretched his chest, pushing his shoulders back. He was going to have to get used to this pose, but he knew it’d feel natural before too long. “Then let’s get going.”  
  
The huddle broke and the group resumed their trek back to the den._  
  
+++++++  
  
Inuyasha and Kouga were hoping for a better interjection than that - each and every wolf raising their own army against Kanta wasn’t actually going to happen - but the point should have been clear enough. Kouga stepped forward, and Inuyasha lowered Tetsusaiga but still kept the blade ready.  
  
“Do you hear that?” Kouga asked rhetorically, passing Inuyasha. “I bet I could get every single wolf in this cave to rise up against you.” A chorus of howls filled the den. “Look around, Kanta. Nobody likes you. Sit down or get out. If you choose to leave, good luck with the coming winter.”  
  
Kanta growled and huffed, looking around at the crowd. He glared back at Kouga. “You don’t deserve this tribe, you mangy coward.”  
  
“Neither do you,” Kouga quipped as his challenger took to the nearest tunnel and left the main chamber. The other wolves in the cave were whooping and hollering for Kouga.  
  
 “And that’s it?” Inuyasha asked Kouga, sheathing Tetsusaiga.  
  
Kouga nodded. “Yep. “  
  
“You’re not going to kick him out?”  
  
“Nah. It’ll be more embarrassing for him this way.”  
  
“You still have to live near him, you know.” Inuyasha advised, eyeing the other. It seemed obvious that this was a bad idea, but Kouga sounded sure.  
  
“Well, court life is complicated.” Kouga turned his gaze back to the dais and glared at Ayame, who stared icy daggers back down at him before retreating herself.  
  
Inuyasha sighed. “As you’ve said before.”  
  
Kouga turned to address the assembled demons. “My tribesmen!” A cheer went up in the cave. “From this day forward, we will be proud. We will not budge. We will not back down from our land.” Another cheer. “I admit to you, today the negotiations were not successful-“ a murmur again- “but we will not be pushed around by these humans!” They cheered again.  
  
\-------  
  
And so Kouga’s speech continued, the pack tighter than ever, their dedication to Kouga strengthened with the help of the half-dog visitor.  
  
Winter quickly set in, and with it Inuyasha began to acclimate to the lifestyle of the wolves. How far, he made it, however, was another story. The hunt was difficult to follow. He kept tripping over the legs of his pants when they caught on the dense undergrowth or snow with all the tight maneuvering that needed to be done, and the bright red always alerted the prey too soon, allowing it to escape.  
  
Even once he was able to prove competent at cutting off the prey’s next-to-last escape route (It had to run eventually, and that was when the wolves would go all-out for the kill), the business of claiming his own meat was difficult, and the rest of the pack ridiculed him for taking it back to the den to prepare it over a fire. This included Kouga to a lesser degree, but the wolf also grew to understand the virtue of adding some of the forest’s herbs to enhance the flavor of the flesh, as well as learning how to store the meat for later – even for days! This didn’t stop the ribbing from the tribe leader, but it helped Inuyasha understand that maybe sometimes it was all in good fun and not always meant to demean.  
  
The taste for seasoned meat aided them when a scout discovered another human village at the edge of another hunting zone. Inuyasha encouraged Kouga to arrive with a prepared meal, including dishes featuring the plants of the forest. Despite the humans’ initial misgivings, their stomachs won out and persuaded their hearts. With the wolf den adequately supplied, they were able to offer the humans protection and a share of their hunt in exchange for a share of the human crop and the humans agreeing to leave the prey population alone.  
  
Things were never better for the wolves, and things were never more infuriating for Kanta. He would be vindicated for losing his challenge, taking his rightful seat on the throne beside his mate. He scrutinized every move Kouga made and pestered Ayame for more details when she had none to give.  
  
The hot springs deep in the network of tunnels constituting the den was a soothing reprieve from the winter’s cold after a long hunt. Kouga and Inuyasha usually waited a bit, however, to oversee the preservation of the remainder of the day’s haul for storage. After the vast majority of the wolves had cleared out, they made their way down and soaked the cold ache out of their muscles.  
  
Kouga unfastened his dou and set the armor on the ground, then untied the thin tanned hide strap that held up his pelt loincloth. He folded it carefully and set it on top of the dou, then coiled the strap and set it atop the pelt. He watched his step very closely as he slid himself into the water, trying carefully not to watch Inuyasha until his inevitable reaction would be disguised by its low steam and reflective surface. Only then did he allow himself to peek at the disrobing hanyou as he slid the white kosode off his shoulders, his red hakama and matching jacket already heaped on the stone floor.  
  
“You’re getting better,” Kouga said, averting his gaze as Inuyasha untied and discarded his fundoshi. The hanyou turned and strode, nude, to the edge of the pool. The warmth of the water also made the color in Kouga’s cheeks seem a bit more natural. “You’re really starting to be like one of us.”  
  
Inuyasha scoffed as he sat at the edge and slid into the water a few feet from Kouga. The wolf demon glanced over as his arms muscles tensed, lowering his lithe body into the spring. “Feh. All I’m good for lately is bringing up the rear.”  
  
There was more important business to attend to than Kouga’s own impulses. “Well, everyone has to do what they can, and that’s exactly what you do. Besides, our meat trade would never have gotten off the ground without you.”  
  
“True.” Inuyasha leaned against the edge of the pool and rested his head on the rocky edge, his shoulders dipping under the water.  
  
“You really don’t have to go on the hunts, you know. If you oversee the trading with the human village, you can make sure you get some.”  
  
Inuyasha sighed deeply. “Nah, I’d really like to contribute more. I should be able to do this, right?  How are they really going to accept me anyway?”  
  
Kouga laughed. “They accept you if I do.”  
  
“Is there anything I can do?” Inuyasha turned his head to face the wolf. Light glinted off Kouga’s wet shoulders and chest.  
  
“If you’re really keen on the hunt, you could alter your outfit a little.”  
  
Inuyasha turned his head back toward the ceiling and furrowed his brow. “How do you mean?”  
  
“Well, it’s pretty easily done. Your clothes are very… cumbersome. They prevent you from moving as freely and quickly as the rest of us do. They’re too flowy.” There was something else he had to bring up, too. “Also, as my advisor… if you’re hoping to become a real member of the tribe, you’ll need to start wearing some of the traditional things to denote your status.”  
  
“You guys have those?”  
  
“Yeah! My armbands, the guards’ bracers… You never noticed?”  Kouga pointed a thumb toward his discarded clothing.  
  
“Feh, of course I’ve seen ‘em! But how was I supposed to know that unless you told me?”  
  
Kouga bit his lip. “I guess you’re right…”  
  
“So I gotta start wearing those things?”  
  
Kouga scratched his chin and shifted his gaze to the ceiling. “Well, yeah. It’ll help you fit in anyway. Keep everyone settled.”  
  
Inuyasha let out a little growl. “Okay. But what about the rest of my ‘flowy’ clothes? Can I wear the bracers under my jacket?”  
  
“For a time. I don’t know what you want to do with the rest of your wardrobe, but think it over. I’d eventually like to see you in more traditional garments, but there’s no real hurry.”  
  
Inuyasha scoffed again. “Is that an order?”  
  
“Oh, no!” Kouga waved off the implication. “Just… if you wanted to stay, is all. It’d be a nice gesture back. You don’t have to.”  
  
“But you’d like me to.”  
  
“I’m not saying get rid of the whole thing,” Kouga said, “but the bracers are a must and the fur leggings are standard for everyone. You can’t very well wear those underneath your hakama.”  
  
“Hm.” Inuyasha crossed his arms and silently turned the idea over in his head. If he was going to truly fit in here, it was the least he could do. It might take some getting used to, but Kouga was so sure it would come with a positive response. It would feel nice to be accepted. Wasn’t that what he came here for in the first place?  
  
His thoughts were interrupted by Kouga standing and climbing out of the spring. The wolf shook his tail dry, padded over to his clothes, and wrapped his loincloth around him, tying it off. “Like I said, you don’t have to. Don’t worry about it.” He gathered his dou and leggings in his arms.  
  
Inuyasha scrambled for words. “No, Kouga, it’s…” But he was gone.  
  
Kouga returned to his chambers, sat the rest of his clothing by the entryway, and flopped back onto his bed of pillows. Why was he so upset about this? Why was he so preoccupied with bringing Inuyasha fully into the pack? He was letting his feelings get the better of him. He had no idea why – he’d never been this way with anyone else before, but then again there’d never been a visitor trying to enter the pack before. Maybe that was it, the excitement of growing the pack. But he’d sired pups for other packs before, and even if he wasn’t there to raise them it was still nice to know that he’d done them some good.  No, even that didn’t quite match the anticipation he felt. This kind of thrill had to come from his feelings for Inuyasha alone. He must just be growing really attached to him. No… he knew he was. More than Kagome, more than Ayame, more than mere usefulness – this was what he’d been waiting for.  
  
The thought of the hanyou disrobing and dipping into the bath played over and over in his mind, and his body reacted. No matter what he did, he couldn’t get it to stop. Even if he tried, they were replaced by thoughts of him tripping in the snow, the flares of his attitude, his smile, his laugh, his brow furrowed in thought. They made his heart swell in kind, and then he noticed something else.  
  
He bit his lip. Winter was ending. The signs had been all around. Kouga should have seen it coming, but he was too distracted with everything else going on and now it was too late. He sniffed at the air, and it confirmed his suspicion. No wonder he was so off.  
  
It was still just a hint, but there was no mistaking it - the scent of females was in the air.  
  
It was mating season.


	5. Beg

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's mating season. The scents and pheromones are a little much for Inuyasha.

The next day, Kouga resolved to make sure Inuyasha was prepared to deal with a mating season in an enclosed den like this. The pheromones drove the male wolves crazy, and knowing Inuyasha’s preferred style of relationship, the hanyou was more likely to take matters into his own hands, alone. A lot.

Kouga had learned this the hard way. Despite quieting his urges for a time by non-committal breeding with other tribes, no matter how many years he tried expecting a different outcome he was still always left wanting more. By pleasuring himself, he was able to keep his head about him for the duration of the season and avoid the nagging guilt from only getting half of what he wanted.

This was why he started going to Ginta and Hakkaku. They’d never bred with females, yet somehow managed to not injure themselves. As it turned out, they had developed a salve from the extracts of different plants in the forest to reduce the rubbing on the delicate skin (and even healed it when needed). He visited them yearly to ask for a phial, and they were always willing to give one.

With the musk thickening in the air, Kouga could only imagine – vividly – how Inuyasha was coping. He could feel his length growing underneath his loincloth, and the soft rubbing of the fur as he walked to the lovers’ quarters wasn’t helping.

He heard the grunting and panting as he approached the curtain covering the rocky arch between the hallway and their room and collected himself with a deep breath. “Ginta? Hakkaku?”

One of them whimpered. Must have been Ginta. “I’ll be back in a moment,” Kouga heard Hakkaku say. “Coming!” Feet softly padded toward the curtain, and a spiky-haired head poked through when the fabric parted. “Oh! Kouga-sama! One moment!” In Hakkaku’s rush, he didn’t bother closing the curtain, and Kouga peeked in.

With their many years together roaming and settling, the nudity of his closest guards was nothing new to him. Ginta lay facedown on their bed of rabbit-fur pillows, his head resting on crossed forearms and knees spread out to either side. The silver-haired wolf’s gaze fell on his lord. “Hello Kouga-sama,” he said, nuzzling his arms before looking behind him and perking his rear in the air. “Hak-kun?” 

Hakkaku reappeared, his tight body glistening with a light sheen of sweat. “Sorry about that,” he said, handing a small earthenware flask over to Kouga. 

The leader offered his hand and closed his fingers around it, the corked top of the neck of the bottle the only part of it still visible. “Thank you, Hakkaku.”

“You’re welcome.”

“That’s all.” He was unsure how else to close out this conversation. “Have… fun? With the rest of your… time?”

“And you enjoy yours as well,” Hakkaku said knowingly with a wink and closed the curtain.

“No, it’s not for me, it’s for…” And then Kouga realized no one was there to listen to him. He shook his head. Yes, mating season was definitely in full swing.

\-------

Inuyasha untucked his jacket and kosode from his hakama and shrugged them off as he sat on the bed of pillows facing the wall in his room. It was getting a bit too warm for his liking, and with such little ventilation in the den the heat tended to collect. It made the place nice and cozy before, but now it was just somehow slightly uncomfortable. The air felt cooler, if not lighter, on his chest and shoulders, his skin catching its breath outside the heavy fabric. Kouga was right, he realized – this was too much clothing. Even his fundoshi felt restricting. He held the red jacket in front of him after fumbling his way to the top of the neckline. He felt clumsy for some reason, like his mind and body weren’t quite connected right.

“Inuyasha?” Kouga’s voice sounded at the door.

The hanyou tilted his head up to respond over the fabric. “Yes?” he looked back at the jacket.

“May I come in?”

“Yeah, of course,” Inuyasha replied as he picked up a sleeve and let it dangle and fall back down.

Kouga was not expecting to find the mutt half-naked when he pushed the curtain aside. He didn’t mind of course.  But again, he was here on business. “Any ideas yet?” he asked, approaching the pillows.

Inuyasha leaned forward and laid the jacket on the bed, straightening the wide sleeves and aligning the front flaps. “Not yet. I haven’t really been able to think much about it.”

Kouga chuckled a bit. “I know what you mean.” He knelt next to Inuyasha. “A lot of us are having trouble with that right now.” He pointed to the sleeves with his free hand. “You could just take the sleeves off, right?”

“I could, yes,” Inuyasha answered. “But then if I don’t like it, I might not be able to put them back on right.”

“We have wolves here skilled in sewing. I’m sure we could figure it out.”

Inuyasha furrowed his brow. “Actually, I’m not sure I’d be able to take them off in the first place after all. It’s indestructible.”

Kouga took his eyes off the jacket and looked at the hanyou’s face. Smooth and strong, the slitted yellow eyes focused, the concentrating frown. “Indestructible isn’t the same is un-disassemblable, is it?”

Inuyasha sensed Kouga’s gaze, and he turned his head to meet it. His heart quickened when he found the sky-blue eyes and his fundoshi grew a little tighter. He felt uneasy and looked back to the jacket. “I don’t know. Is it?”

Kouga did the same. “I guess there’s only one way to find out, really.”

“And what about the bracers and stuff you mentioned the other day? Where do I get those?”

“Well, we have a stash of bracers. There’s not many because we usually know when a new guard is coming up,” Kouga explained. “As for the leggings, they tend to be made on an as-needed basis. They’re not too hard to make, but the tailors tend to take care of it. We’ll have to bring one in soon.”

Inuyasha nodded. “That should work.”

Kouga’s heart skipped a beat. This wasn’t really why he was here. “Just so you know, Inuyasha,” he began. No going back now. “You may feel a little… impatient soon in the coming days.” He watched his hands as he fidgeted the bottle between them.

Inuyasha looked back to the wolf demon. “What do you mean?” It was much nicer to look at Kouga without being looked at in return, which usually wasn’t something he minded. Why did it bother him before?

Kouga sighed. “Well, you see, every year there’s this phase in our seasonal cycle where the women become increasingly desirable, usually to an unbearable degree for us males.”

“Heat,” Inuyasha responded. Much nicer indeed. The way the light curved around his collarbones and shoulders made him look like a statue. His cock pulsed against the fabric.

“Yes,” Kouga said, relieved he didn’t have to spell it out. “And I know how you are about mating without some deeper connection – I’m the same way. It’s the reason I didn’t mate with Ayame.” He wanted a glance at Inuyasha, and turned his head to see the hanyou’s eyes on him once more. He brought his head back down and set the bottle on top of the jacket. “If you want it, or need it, since you don’t have a potential mate yet, here’s some salve Ginta and Hakkaku developed. Those of us without mates that don’t roam to breed with other packs tend to stay here and work out our frustrations alone. Mating season lasts for a few weeks, so using this will keep you from rubbing yourself raw.”

“I see,” Inuyasha said, eyeing the bottle, blushing a bit. That explained his persistent erection. “You guys are really frank about these things here.”

Kouga shrugged. “We’re wolves. It is a part of us. We have no use for speaking about it in some other way.” He laughed. “On top of that we can’t really manage to be anything but plainspoken while the females are in heat.” He stood and put his hands on his hips. “Well, I’ll leave you to figuring out what to do about your clothes. When you’re ready, just come let me know, okay?” He clapped his hand on Inuyasha’s bare shoulder and turned to leave, his feet on the cold stone floor.

“Kouga.”

Inuyasha’s voice stopped him in his tracks. “Yes?” Kouga responded.

“Do that again?”

“Do what again?”

“Put your hand on my shoulder.”

Kouga’s heart skipped again. He walked back and obliged him. The hanyou’s skin felt warm.

So did Kouga’s. Inuyasha reached up with his opposite hand and rested it on top of Kouga’s, gripping the wolf demon’s wrist. The touch was simple, yet powerful. “No one has touched me like this in a long time.” He turned his head to look up at Kouga, this time seeking the eyes he’d avoided before.

Kouga met them and knelt behind him, leaving his hand right where it was. He forced any conscious thought out of his mind, not that many were there to begin with. “Like this?”

“No pats, no hugs, no… anything.” Inuyasha leaned on his hands and rotated to face the wolf demon. For no discernible reason he reached out and slid a hand along Kouga’s upper arm, brushing over the firm muscles there before resting his hand on the skin underneath the fur on the other’s shoulder, stroking it once with his thumb. “It’s nice, isn’t it?”

Kouga kept his gaze focused on Inuyasha’s and licked his drying lips. “It is.”

Inuyasha ran his hand back down Kouga’s free arm. Kouga ran his hand down Inuyasha’s chest and caught the ridges of the dog demon’s stomach with the tips of his fingers as he plopped it like dead weight on the other’s thigh. He slid it back to his own lap.

Inuyasha’s mind was in a fog. His cock had twitched when Kouga’s hand drew close, as if it were reaching out to the foreign skin. He needed to do something about this. Now. He fumbled with the tie of his hakama with one hand and tried reaching around behind him with the other, but it was too much at once and he was failing at both.

“Here, let me,” Kouga said, his mouth again running on instinct. It instantly registered like a terrible idea, but he spread his knees a bit and hunched forward, reaching for and untying the knot.

Inuyasha’s blind grab for the bottle sent him rocking back, but he found it and came to rest on his back on the pillows. “Thanks,” he said, setting the bottle beside him.

“You’re welcome,” Kouga said, settling back on his calves.

Inuyasha pushed the unfastened hakama down his legs and hooked his thumbs under the sides of his fundoshi, which did little at this point to hide the his erection. He lifted his hips and slid it down, his member rising free. He kicked the clothing off, rested his lower back on the pillows, and sighed, his hand finding the bottle right where he’d left it.

Kouga gave a slight cough. “I’ll just be-“

“No,” Inuyasha said, “please.”

“I don’t want to bother-“

“I don’t want to be alone.” Inuyasha took the cork out and the salve oozed slowly and continuously onto his hand.

“Umm… you might want to- That’s enough- Don’t let- You don’t need-“ Kouga lunged forward between Inuyasha’s legs and took the bottle from the hanyou’s hands. He hovered on one arm above the dog’s body, his ponytail draped over his shoulder and Inuyasha’s as well. He leaned on his elbow and placed the bottle between two pillows, taking the cork from one of Inuyasha’s hands and stopping it up. He smiled and laughed. “You don’t need that much. The bottle is tiny for a reason.”

“Well how was I supposed to know that?” Inuyasha snapped.

“Take it easy,” Kouga said. He took a finger and swiped it along Inuyasha’s other palm, gathering some of the ointment. “I was just going to do this in my quarters later anyway.” He rested back on his knees and unfastened his dou, setting it aside, then untied his loincloth, the strap and fur falling to the bed together. His own member dangled free and he slowly spread the salve along it, making sure to coat every inch. As his hand neared the end of his length, his foreskin glided over the ridge of the head, the tautness tugging pleasantly at the base.  
  
Inuyasha calmed quickly and did the same, sighing out a breath as his cock pulsed into his hand in response to the cool slick lotion gliding easily up and down his shaft. His eyes drifted shut, hips rocking up with each stroke to meet his hand.  
  
The wet sucking sound of Inuyasha’s abundant lubrication harked Kouga back to memories of torrid nights in foreign dens, fucking with abandon, every part of his body perfectly connected in the singular purpose of indulging his primal instincts with a female wet and presenting in anticipation. In a similar way, the hanyou’s arching sent shivers down Kouga’s spine. He had no idea Inuyasha could be so... graceful.  
  
Inuyasha let out a soft moan, lost somewhere in his thoughts, and Kouga beamed. “Something on your mind?”  
  
Inuyasha adjusted his shoulders and shook his head. “No, just... feels nice.”  
  
“Ah,” Kouga replied. He was transfixed, and had to reach out to touch Inuyasha’s leg with his spare hand to make sure this was actually happening and he wasn’t just daydreaming in his room again.  
  
Once more, Inuyasha reached out with his off hand and covered Kouga’s. Kouga slid his out from under it and continued up the other’s thigh, over his hip, across his stomach, and down the other side, purposefully not interrupting Inuyasha’s rather occupied hand. There were words of praise on Kouga’s tongue, but he figured his fingers were doing enough talking for the moment.  
  
Inuyasha’s hand did some traveling of its own, tracing over the wolf demon’s tight and muscular thigh across to the inside, eliciting a moan from Kouga. Inuyasha smiled and opened his eyes slightly, lids heavy with his own arousal. “You like that, huh?” he asked, still stroking himself.  
  
Kouga laughed, flustered and starting to pant. “So did you.” His hand moved faster along his length.  
  
“I guess I did,” Inuyasha responded, his own breath quickening.  
  
Kouga squeezed the half-demon’s thigh and Inuyasha arched an eyebrow. “Is that all you got?” he asked.  
  
“Oh, I think I’ve got more where that came from,” Kouga answered with a smirk. He let go of his own erection and once again leaned over Inuyasha, supporting himself on his clean hand. He brought his slick hand up Inuyasha’s other leg and to the inside, briefly grasping and squeezing the balls dangling in the soft loose skin between them before letting go and wrapping his fingers around the base of Inuyasha’s shaft. The other’s hand pumped down to meet it and their hearts raced.  
  
Inuyasha grinned, trying to focus on Kouga’s gaze. The look of admiration was flattering, and Inuyasha figured he might as well put on a better show, but Kouga’s short and low strokes meant he didn’t have to fake it. He moaned again and lifted his hips higher into the air, the pressure and presence of Kouga’s hand pushing back a welcome change, reminding him of what he was missing. He kept thrusting that high, then higher. The hand just wasn’t enough.  
  
Kouga didn’t think so either. Inuyasha’s hips were rising like they were seeking something. His mind flashed again to those nights with other tribes, and he knew what Inuyasha needed.  
  
“Stay still for a moment, Inuyasha,” Kouga said.  
  
Inuyasha settled, but kept stroking himself. “Why?”  
  
“I want to try something.” Kouga coaxed Inuyasha’s hand off of his cock and Kouga walked his knees forward, outside of Inuyasha’s legs. “Just trust me. I want to help you.” He raised up on them and reached behind him, finding Inuyasha’s length and moving it around back and forth between his legs and cheeks, trying to find the hole he knew was there.  
  
Inuyasha wasn’t stupid. He’d heard about this from travelers passing through to and from the Imperial court at Kyoto, and some in the den joked about Ginta and Hakkaku’s relationship, but he didn’t exactly know all the details of how it worked. As long as Kouga seemed to, he was content to let the wolf demon continue.  
  
Kouga bent his hips and lowered, the pressure and the excessive salve making the tip of Inuyasha’s head poke and slide around uncomfortably. Another try, and he figured out he was a little closer. After a couple more, Inuyasha felt his head settle into an indent. Kouga froze.  
  
“Is that it?” Inuyasha asked.  
  
Kouga took a deep breath and pressed down a little harder, feeling Inuyasha’s length start to take hold. “Yeah, that’s it.” In prior years, he’d asked Ginta and Hakkaku how this worked. He denied that he was looking for any advice, but they gave him some anyway. They got cheeky during mating season.  
  
Relax, Ginta had said. Relax everything. It helps it not be so painful at first.  
  
Kouga took another deep breath and settled down some more, trying to unclench his muscles and let Inuyasha in. It felt like Inuyasha had pierced him as the head popped in quickly, but the sensation passed quickly. Kouga stopped for a moment and gathered himself.  
  
“Oh, kami...” the hanyou uttered, both heads tingling. He grabbed at Kouga’s legs and pushed his hips up once more, his cock gliding in smoothly.  
  
There was another little flare when Inuyasha started moving, and then all felt like nothing to Kouga until Inuyasha’s tip brushed something inside of him. It was slightly uncomfortable, but didn’t actually hurt, and then he felt the hanyou bury himself deep. So this was what it felt like. He brought his hips forward, sliding Inuyasha partially out, and lowered himself again. It was so weird...  
  
But Inuyasha definitely seemed to like it. To Kouga, that was what mattered. That was important. He wanted to see the hanyou really enjoy himself for the first time in who knew how long. “Good, Inuyasha?”  
  
Inuyasha managed a nod. “Y-yes...” He pressed his hips into the pillows and quickly back up into the wolf, who winced. A concerned expression crossed Inuyasha’s face, and he searched Kouga’s eyes for more information. “And for you?”  
  
“I’m fine,” Kouga said, smiling with apologetic eyes. “Ginta told me this takes a little getting used to.”  
  
“Okay.” Inuyasha slid his hands up and onto Kouga’s rear, tugging at the cheeks, pleased to feel that more than just the wolf demon’s legs were substantial. He slowly pulled out and pushed back in a little at a time. “Does it go in too far?”  
  
Kouga nodded. “A little, I think.”  
  
“Okay,” Inuyasha slid in some more. “Let me know?”  
  
Kouga nodded again. Inuyasha kept sliding in, and then stopped. They stared inquisitively at each other for a moment. “Why’d you stop?”  
  
Inuyasha gave a slight grin. “‘cause I’m in all the way, stupid.”  
  
Kouga raised an eyebrow. “Really?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“Well then.” Kouga lifted himself again, and Inuyasha met him halfway on the way down. Without another word, they settled into a constant rhythm.  
  
Before long, Inuyasha was panting again, his hands now at Kouga’s waist, claws starting to dig into his skin. Kouga leaned forward on his arms and brought his knees forward a little bit more. He couldn’t let Inuyasha keep having all the fun. He pushed himself back up and rested back on his ankles. Inuyasha’s next thrust felt especially deep, raising Kouga’s ass off the other’s hips and rolling up his body.  
  
“Better?” Inuyasha asked between gasps with a mischievous grin.  
  
Kouga rolled his body again and smirked himself as he pushed down onto Inuyasha’s member. “Yes,” he replied. The spot Inuyasha had glanced before felt less uncomfortable as they went longer, like rubbing at the edges of a scab. He wrapped his hand around his erection and stroked it. The sensation of Inuyasha inside him mingled quickly with his own touch and connected low in his stomach.  
  
Inuyasha quickened his pace as his own pleasure started building. His thrusts became frantic and erratic. His gasps and moans turned to grunts. “I... I’m not going to last much longer, Kouga,” he growled.  
  
“Don’t hold back, Inuyasha,” the wolf replied.  
  
The hanyou’s claws dug a little deeper, and he held Kouga firmly, limiting his movements, keeping him close. Every push and pull felt so good in different ways, and he felt his peak drawing nearer. He clamped down and desperately bucked quickly, the rapid succession of sensation washing over his body and blossoming white behind his eyes  
  
Kouga watched as Inuyasha’s eyes glazed over, lost in pleasure. He felt the hanyou’s cock swell inside of him, then twitch again and again, filling him with his seed. Kouga lifted and sank himself onto it a few more times as Inuyasha’s orgasm subsided, and with a few more quick strokes he sent himself toward his release as well. As the final swell hit him, an extra wave of pleasure shot up his spine from his hole that made him almost whimper, and he sighed as the first string of cum came shooting over Inuyasha’s shoulder. He rocked back and forth with the next few spasms as they coated Inuyasha’s chest. As it passed, the last spurts of seed plopped and pooled on Inuyasha’s rippled rising and falling stomach.  
  
Kouga collected his own breath for a moment and lifted himself off of Inuyasha’s spent member, which flopped onto Inuyasha’s glistening skin, and Kouga rested back on his ankles, his own cock resting on Inuyasha’s. He reached down and swiped a bit of semen from Inuyasha’s chest with his finger. “Sorry about that,” he said, examining and then licking it off.  
  
“No, no, it’s fine, really.” Inuyasha’s hands flopped to the side and he took a deep breath of his own. He was starting to remember where he was. “I’m sorry about the claws,” he said propping himself up on his elbows. “I hope they don’t leave a mark.”  
  
“I won’t mind if they did as long as you don’t,” Kouga said teasingly.  
  
And then it struck Inuyasha. Kouga had helped him, yes. But what had they done? Kouga was okay being marked by Inuyasha, like he was proud of it. Was Inuyasha proud? Was this how men mated? Was he bound to Kouga for life?  
  
Kouga saw the shift in the hanyou’s expression. He looked worried now. Kouga couldn’t say he didn’t expect it, but he’d hoped this wouldn’t happen. He was only trying to help, and only responded to what Inuyasha did. Inuyasha looked pleased before, but now Kouga thought it might be the last thing he’d ever do for him. He stood. “I... should get going.” He raised a knee, propped himself on a foot and pushed off the knee to standing. He bent over and grabbed his loincloth, the air hitting cold on the cum starting to leak onto his leg. He tied it loosely around himself to not make a mess of it. He bent again to pick up his dou. He was glad it was mating season. It meant no one would question him for walking around like that. He furrowed his brow and grimaced, fighting back the other emotion he knew was welling up in his throat as he walked toward the hallway.


	6. Roll Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inuyasha ponders what he just got himself into.

Inuyasha watched the wolf retreat for the hundredth time that he’d known him. A couple nights ago, in the hot spring, it was bad enough. He didn’t know how he felt about what just happened, but he knew he couldn’t stand to let Kouga walk away from him this time.  
  
“Kouga...” Inuyasha started. “Please don’t... Not again.”  
  
Kouga glanced at the ground and dropped the dou back onto the pillows. “I’m sorry, Inuyasha. Really.”  
  
“I just... I don’t know what just happened.”  
  
“We had sex.”  
  
“Other than that. More than that.”  
  
Kouga shook his head. “Nothing. That’s it.”  
  
“Ah.”  
  
“I’m sorry, that’s not what you wanted.”  
  
“No, I think I asked for it.”  
  
“Still, I know what you’re looking for and I just came down here so you didn’t rashly mate with someone and look at what happened.”  
  
Inuyasha looked concerned. “Kouga. Really, I asked for it. Thank you. I mean it. It was... nice.”  
  
Kouga smiled a little at that. “Well, that’s something.”  
  
“Wait,” Inuyasha said, with a hint of panic, “are we mated now, though?”  
  
Kouga shook his head and laughed. “No, I don’t think so.”

Inuyasha cocked an eyebrow. “Then what does it take?”

Kouga cocked his hip and thought for a moment. “We should get cleaned up. C’mon, let’s head down to the hot springs. There’s a separate one reserved for me in case other people are down there and I want some privacy.”

Inuyasha sat up, and Kouga’s seed dripped down his stomach. He watched it mingle with his own at the base of his cock. He grabbed his fundoshi and wiped off his now-flaccid member, then grabbed his pants and slid them on, tying them before standing.

The two demons stood eye to eye, and Inuyasha was comforted that Kouga kept facing his way. “Thank you, again,” Inuyasha said. “I really mean that.”

“I know,” Kouga said, the hanyou’s words loosening the tightness in his chest. “Shall we?” He nodded toward the hallway.

Inuyasha nodded. Kouga turned and led the way out, red streaks dotting down his skin at his sides. He wasn’t bleeding, and the marks would fade, but for now they were bright and obvious. While walking, Inuyasha felt the rest of Kouga’s cum on his chest drying cool with the passing air. As he passed the portal, it suddenly hit him – he was marked too. And damn what other people thought of it. He and his friend were helping each other out. Surely lots of other wolves in the den were doing the same thing. His head picked up. “You know something, Kouga?”

“What’s that?”

“I don’t mind my claws marking you after all.”

Kouga pressed his lips together to stop a smile breaking out. “Good.”

The pair passed an intersection, and afterwards Ayame entered from the crossing hallway. “Hrmph,” she said, folding her arms under her chest, watching after the pair. “No wonder.”

\-------

The private bath was in a much smaller cave, and the water was clearer, hotter, and Inuyasha felt like he was melting into it – in a good way.  He didn’t quite know how to interact with Kouga at this point - and neither did the wolf - so despite this thing that had happened since they last bathed together, they sat a familiar distance apart.

Kouga was still slightly unsettled at Inuyasha’s reluctance. His reinforcing words in the hall had made him very happy, but the initial reaction was what kept playing over and over in his head.

“So how does this work?” Inuyasha asked, breaking the silence. “What does this mean?”

Kouga briefly pondered the question. This? “Does it have to mean anything?”

“I don’t know,” Inuyasha answered. “I’m just a lot more… comfortable with it than I thought I would be.”

“We helped each other,” Kouga said with a shrug. “It’s what we do here.”

“So what’s the difference between ‘mating’ and ‘helping each other?’” Inuyasha asked.

“It’s a…” - Kouga searched for the word – “commitment. A bond.”

“Well, I know that,” Inuyasha said with a hint of defensiveness, “but what makes that bond?”

Kouga thought Inuyasha was putting far too much thought into this. He again had to try to put his unquestioned instincts into words. “I think… I think they’re the same thing. That’s what we call the bond and the act that creates it. Mating.”

Inuyasha’s mouth turned down in thought. “So you guys just create this bond during mating season. That’s all there is to it.”

“Because that’s when the scent of the females is in the air, yes.”

“Through sex.”

“Yes.”

“With wolves you’ve never even met before.”

“Usually.”

“Why?” Inuyasha asked. As someone used to courting, it seemed incredibly reckless to him. He slid down a bit and rested his head on the edge of the pool, letting his eyes drift shut.

Kouga shrugged. “It just happens. It’s what we do. It’s instinct – nobody trains us to be this way.”

“So why didn’t you ever mate before?”

“Because of you.” Kouga’s stomach twisted. “And Kagome. By the time I had a tribe again, you had ruined me.”

“What did you do all those years, then?” Inuyasha asked, turning his head and looking at Kouga’s profile as the wolf stared at the water.

“Oh, I’ve bred every so often. Like we did. I breed with females of other tribes, other males breed with our unmated females. It’s how we keep ourselves safe.”

“I see.” Inuyasha looked up at the ceiling, his mind’s eye picturing Kouga, taken by the scent of a female and then taking her, passions uninhibited without expectations. He felt a certain thrill at that. He wasn’t sure if it was because of Kouga himself, the casual nature of the sex, or both. “So we just bred, then.”

“That time, that moment, in a sense, yeah. You’re not going to be bearing any pups, though.” Kouga laughed and stretched, still unsure if he should even look at the hanyou. Things seemed to be going… not poorly. He decided to risk it with his words instead. “It was nice, though.”

Inuyasha raised his eyebrow in assent. “Yeah, it was.”

Kouga hazarded a glance at the dog demon: his skin healthily rosy and glistening from the heat, softly dipping and curving over the muscles underneath, hair cascading over his shoulders and behind his back down into the water. “If you get the urge to do that again, just let me know.”

Inuyasha laughed, flashing fangs, and smiled at Kouga. “I probably will!”

 Kouga’s heart swelled. With those words and that smile, risk be damned. “Listen… Inuyasha,” he began.

“Uh oh,” Inuyasha said, grinning.

“What?”

“You say that right before you change the subject and say something serious.”

Kouga let one corner of his mouth turn up. “I’d say it’s related.”

“Okay?” Inuyasha look was bright and eager.

“I…” Kouga sighed. “I think I could mate with you. I really do. You’ve done so much…”

Inuyasha laughed, and it wasn’t as charming to Kouga as it was before. “I can’t say I’m surprised. I mean, given your history and all.”

“No, Inuyasha…” Kouga shook off his shock. “Look, I’m serious!”

That grin on Inuyasha’s face as he spoke wasn’t charming anymore either. “I’m here, advising you, helping you – you’re bound to feel that way!”

Kouga sighed. “Look, this isn’t about you meeting some kind of list of qualifications!” He was reminded of his recent appraisal of the hanyou’s form. “Okay, so maybe in some sense it is, but what about you? Didn’t Kagome fit some kind of list you had? Weren’t there things you needed her to have or not have? You said yourself she was better than Kikyo was, but based on what? In the end, there were things you found attractive, and things you didn’t.”

Inuyasha pondered this. “But it’s not the same with you,” he countered. “For you, it’s all about what people can do for you! Find shards, expand your tribe, keep you safe, keep you in power…”

“Sure, it used to be,” Kouga answered. “But a good amount of time has passed since those days. I’m on guard for that now. I was on guard for that with you. Don’t you think I’ve thought about these things? I have to live with the consequences of those old choices right next to me on that dais every day. Lurking there. Hating me. So stop making it so complicated. It’s not. In the end, you make me happy. That’s something neither Kagome nor Ayame offered me. It’s not something I bothered to want from them. And I can have any advisor I want. I can have any guard I want. In fact, I already do! Two of them. With me through everything. But no one has made me happy like you. And everyone else – I wanted to take something from them. I wanted to use them, with no regard for their own feelings. But I want to give you something. I want to give you that happiness in return.” He took a breath as his words sank in. “So there.”

Inuyasha took a breath himself, his grin turned back down into a very contemplative expression as he stared at the ceiling. “Look, I just think this is a little fast. It’s been an hour since you came to my room. I’ve only been here for a few months. I’m still trying to come to terms with what we just did and what it means.” But that’s how wolves do things, he remembered. Oh, this was complicated – too much to wrap his head all the way around. The room was starting to spin.

“I understand, Inuyasha. Really, I do. I was so worried about this, I just didn’t expect the wolf this happened to you with to be me.” He leaned forward, hunching his back in the water as he stared at it very intently. “It’s new. I don’t want you jumping into something like this, but we’ve worked together so well. I’ve never felt like this before. Felt like… like I’m supposed to.”

Inuyasha sighed, his eyes drifting shut. “I mean, I believe you. And I’m proud of you for that. And you’re right. I just don’t know how I feel about-“

His heart skipped as he felt a hand on his jaw, and it turned his head toward Kouga. His eyes flashed open to see Kouga’s face close, eyes softly shut as the wolf’s lithe torso arched out of the water. Their lips pressed together, and the caress of Kouga’s other hand on his neck joined with the thumb stroking his cheek sent a shiver to Inuyasha’s core that bounced back up to his lips. He closed his eyes, and without meaning to he raised a hand slightly to brush idly at Kouga’s leg under the water. His other hand came to rest on the wolf demon’s side, marveling again at how real and alive it was. He brought his other hand up and held Kouga there. The other lips pulled away, and Inuyasha opened his eyes to be greeted by half-shut deep sky-blue orbs, which darted back and forth between his yellow ones.

“I’ll just say one thing more,” Kouga said, his breathing slightly heavy and his hands idly brushing Inuyasha’s neck. “Be nervous. It’s okay. But don’t mistake your human nerves and fear with your demon instinct.  You’ve spent so much time among them that it makes sense. But this is who you are, too. Don’t forget that. Don’t deny that.” He kissed Inuyasha again briefly and released him, pulling away from the hanyou’s hands. He stood. “Take some time and sort this out, as much time as you need. I’ll be waiting in my quarters or in the main chamber. I eagerly await your response.”

With that, Kouga rose out of the water, shook himself dry, collected his clothes from the stone floor, and left.

Kouga’s words echoed in series in Inuyasha’s head - it’s just what we do, it’s our instincts, this is who you are, too. His heart – or was it his body? – was undeniable. He sat up and leaned forward, raising his fingers to his lips. That was another first in a long time. Kouga offered him so much, so very much, but another part of him was screaming at him to slow down.

He heard another person slip into the water and felt the ripples hit his skin. “Kouga?”

He turned to face Ayame, the water rising to just below her breasts. “Not who you were expecting, was it, hanyou?”

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. “What are you doing here?” he prickled.

She laughed. “Oh, calm yourself. I have no ill will toward you, and this is the ruler’s private hot spring. The privilege extends to family as well, so I suppose I should ask what you are doing here.”

He calmed. “Kouga wanted to talk with me about something.”

“Oh, there’s no need to be coy with me,” she said confidently and melodically. “I saw you walking down here together. To be honest, I’m surprised I didn’t interrupt you two fucking when I came in. Either you two are quick or you had a little lover’s quarrel.”

Inuyasha narrowed his eyebrows as he looked sidelong at her. “You guys really do all get frank at this time of year.”

Ayame shrugged. “It suits us. It’s the way I prefer to do business anyway. So quick, then?”

“No!” Inuyasha replied quickly. He folded his arms. “Not a quarrel either. He left me a lot to think about is all.”

She grinned. “Like what?”

“None of your damn business what!”

“Look, I’m not the one where he shouldn’t be, mutt. I’ve known him the longest, and I just want to help you like you’ve helped us all here over the last few months.”

Kouga was right. This court business WAS really complicated. Inuyasha sighed. “I know you’re his wife and all…” he trailed off.

“Ah, so he offered to mate with you? He actually made you an offer?” She laughed again. “Typical Kouga.”

“It’s a lot to think about, okay?”

“It’s not something that’s usually thought about at all,” she answered. She shook her head. “I don’t know what got into him.”

“He wanted to give me a chance is all. Did Kanta not grant you the same?”

“No, but you don’t see me complaining,” she replied with a grin. “Kouga gave me my freedom and I took it. I regret nothing.” She paused before she continued. “You should take him up on it. You two would do well together. If the new prosperity of the den is any indication, it’s only a sign of better things to come.”

“It’s really fast.”

“It really isn’t.” She flipped some of her bright red hair over her shoulder. “The fact that he’s giving you the option shows you how much he cares. He was kind enough to let me go be a wolf, and I do respect him a great deal for that. He obviously also cares for you enough to let you be a-“ her nose wrinkled as she spat the word- “HUMAN about the whole thing.”

“He’s definitely not the same Kouga I used to know.”

“Nope. I just wish he would’ve come to his senses before he married me.”

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. “You’re being really, really casual about just telling me all this stuff. This is a lot of stuff for you to be telling me when you barely even know me.”

Ayame shrugged. “It’s what we do.” She flashed him a lopsided smile. “So after you mate with him, you’ll be in the tribe. What are you going to do about your outfit?”

“First of all, I don’t know if I’m mating with him. Second of all I haven’t figured that out yet.”

Ayame eyed the heap of his clothes in the corner. “Hmm… that red is going to be difficult to match with fur,” she said. "The bracers will be fine, but any old prey skin or pelt isn’t going to do." She gave Inuyasha a lookover. A good one. She slid closer to him and leaned in, her breasts pressing against his arm. She reached up for the lock of hair draped over his chest. “Well… there is one thing.”

Inuyasha sat stock still. He couldn’t push her away, and she seemed to be helping. He suspected there was some kind of ulterior motive given all the intrigue Kouga insinuated existed, but he sensed nothing but honesty from her. She furrowed her brow, looked over at her own pile of clothes, looked thoughtful for a bit more and smiled. “Take mine,” she said.

“Excuse me?” Inuyasha asked, a little stunned.

“Take my leggings,” Ayame insisted. She nodded as if affirming this to herself. “I’ve got other pairs. You can’t easily find that kind of white fur, and it’s the best quality stuff there is. Whether you mate with him or not, consider it a gift from me for all you’ve done and will do for our den.”

“But didn’t they come from your tribe?” Inuyasha asked. “Don’t they have special meaning to you?”

“I should hope that makes the gift all the more special,” Ayame said, a touch of offense in her voice. “I am profoundly thankful for your help here. I hope they help you have a sense of the history of my tribe and that you respect them as such. That is all I ask in return.”

Inuyasha was taken aback. “You’re serious.”

“Yes!” She tilted her head toward her clothes. “Go ahead, take them! Really. You need them, I want you to have them.”

“I… Thank you. Very much.”

“Now get out of here,” she said, mockingly stern. “You’re no longer welcome in the royal spring!”

“Yes, ma’am,” Inuyasha said, bowing his head to her and climbing out of the water. His wet feet clapped on the cool stone on his way over to his hakama, which he gathered in his arms and went to the pile of Ayame’s clothes. He knelt in front of them and looked over to her. She nodded to him, and he went through them, finding the white wolf fur leggings and setting them on top of the hakama. “Thanks again,” he said.

“My pleasure,” she said.

Inuyasha stood and walked out, drip-drying on his way back to his room. The halls were largely empty, save for an impatient pair or two tucked into different nooks that apparently couldn’t wait to get back to their room to begin copulating. He arrived back at his room and plopped down the clothes. He surveyed his messy bed. Inuyasha sealed the bottle of salve; took it, his jacket, and the messy pillow away; rearranged the rest of the pile; and flopped down, taking a deep breath and sighing. The two sides of Inuyasha were swirling inside him, a stormy sea of the mess that was his heritage. Yet a singular persistent phrase floated above it like a sturdy raft, riding the tumultuous waves, growing bigger and louder and more overwhelming to the point where he couldn’t contain it any longer and it managed to escape his lips-

“It’s what we do.”


	7. Lie Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time was for pleasure. This time, it's for business. Or both.

Inuyasha stood on the cliff above the entrance to the wolves' den. The warm early spring wind blew through his hair and against his bare chest, his jacket and kosode left in a pile behind him. Beside him, the river that fed the unfrozen waterfall rushed over the edge, never flinching, relentlessly plunging to the pool below before continuing down the canyon into the distance. Always rushing.

 

It had been days since Kouga’s offer, and the hanyou realized that no further amount of reasoning – whatever reasoning was possible during mating season - was going to move him any further. He either had to go through with it or not. As Kouga had said before, it was a matter of instinct.

 

At the cusp of the falls, rocks jutted out from the water defiantly, unheeded by the river’s turbulent flow. He looked down at the base of the falls. Rocks were strewn about the edges, but he knew the center of it was far deeper and as long as he kept his eye on that center, he'd safely land in it.  
  
If he jumped, that is.  
  
There was a chance he'd sink too deep and hit the bottom hard. There was a chance he'd miss and crash along the jagged edges of the pool. Even in the worst case, however, he was part demon. It would hurt like hell for awhile, but he'd still be able to walk away later, same as he was now.  
  
Or he'd jump and enjoy the thrill, a better man for the risk. He knew the jump was safe - he'd seen other wolves make it before - but the black points weren't any less sharp for it.  
  
He traced the ledge with his toes, dangled a foot over and tested the air. He took a deep breath and focused on calming his quickening heart.  
  
"It's what they do," he said. He took a step back and crouched down, coiling the muscles in his legs.  
  
He sighed heavily and choked his mind off, ignoring its cacophonous protests.  
  
He jumped.

 

The water was cold, as Inuyasha expected, and he sank deep underneath, the light from the surface quickly fading in the shadowed pool. He reversed direction again as he felt himself slow to the bottom of his plunge and kicked his way to the surface.

 

He had survived. He was almost surprised at how much this didn’t surprise him, and it dawned on him there really wasn’t any reason he shouldn’t have made it. It was pure silliness to have doubted it in the first place. He’d have to do it again in summer, he thought, which meant regardless of whatever dilemma he was consciously debating it meant he assumed he’d still be here.

 

He could hear his movements and the dull roar of the falls growing louder, and he broke the surface of the water with a gasp, treading water. He shook the excess from his face and ears and swam quickly over to the shore. Despite the warm week they’d had, he could tell prolonged exposure wasn’t a good idea. He climbed out onto the rocky ledges, the water tugging at his soggy hakama. He pulled them back up over his hips and casually walked his way back around to the path leading to the top of the falls. Although the air was initially cold on his wet skin, the sun warmed him rather quickly.

 

Inuyasha knew that wolves mated, that they mated for life, usually for breeding, and that Ginta and Hakkaku were exceptions to the rule. He knew how the basics of things worked – he and Kouga had experienced that the other day – but what about this time? How would this go? Kouga had taken it upon (and up in) himself to make Inuyasha feel even better, and it had definitely worked. If he was seeking to join this tribe, the least he could do would be to offer himself to his friend in kind. It didn’t seem to hurt him, and he appeared to enjoy it well enough. He wondered what that could feel like, Kouga taking him like one of his breeding partners, abandoned to that lust and in his element. If Kouga wanted Inuyasha to be as close to that state as possible when they bred, Inuyasha wanted Kouga to be as close to that state as possible when they mated.

 

He reached the place where he’d stood half an hour before and gathered his kosode and jacket in his arms. They were warm, familiar, close, and far fluffier than Kouga was. He carried them quietly back down the hill to the den. He’d have to change out of his hakama for a while.

 

He knew what could be said of his plan for mating with Kouga. When there was talk of this kind of relationship in the capital, there was always a power play. Someone was more dominant, and that person took the aggressive role in the bedchambers as well. The receptive partner was often more effeminate and was weaker. What would that make him?

 

He shook this off. What did that make Kouga, then? It didn’t matter, he realized. He didn’t think any less of Kouga. Kouga wasn’t weaker. Kouga was Kouga.

 

He reached his room and tossed the clothes on the pillows. He untied his hakama and let them fall to the floor, sliding down his wet fundoshi as well. He grabbed the white kosode and put it on, drawing the wet belt from the hakama to tie around him.

 

Kouga was Kouga. Inuyasha was Inuyasha.

 

Inuyasha took to the hallways once more. He was on a roll, and it was now or never.

 

\-------

 

It had been a rough few days for Kouga, as the scent of sex was still thick in the air. He tried to keep his wits about him by containing himself to his chambers as much as possible. His mind wandered wildly, picturing all the different ways Inuyasha might come to him, the positions they’d mate in, and then he’d remind himself that the hanyou might not come back at all. He kept his dou off to prevent himself from overheating.

 

It was while he was feeling particularly wanting that he heard a rustling behind him. He jumped, heart skipping in anticipation as he turned.

 

Sure enough, there Inuyasha stood, his white kosode wrapped tight around his dripping body and tied off with the red belt from his hakama.

 

Kouga blinked. Was this real? “Inuyasha, that’s you, right?”

 

“Yeah,” the hanyou replied gruffly as he started across the room toward the wolf. His hands lowered to his waist and gripped the ends of the bow.

 

Kouga gulped. “Am… Am I asleep?”

 

“No.” Inuyasha pulled the ends down, undoing the knot and letting the belt fall to the ground. His determination was good kindling for what he had planned, but it still needed a spark. “Now shut up and touch me.” The folds of the kosode drifted apart. He was wearing nothing else, and with a roll of his shoulders, the kosode hit the floor too. He relished the freeness, and Kouga’s eyes on him felt nice. The torchlight played off his wet skin and hair, flares of highlight drawing the wolf’s gaze from his rippled stomach to strong thighs, broad shoulders, proud chest.

 

“A-are you sure about this?” Kouga asked, leaning back on his hands as Inuyasha drew nearer.

 

Inuyasha nodded. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

 

“I mean, you want to ma-“

 

“Shut. Up.” Inuyasha kneeled between Kouga’s legs and crawled forward as the leader flinched backward. “If you want, I could walk back out of here, but I’ve made up my mind and I’d rather not change it.” He craned his neck forward and kissed Kouga soundly, hands finding skin and roaming where they may. There was his spark, just as he hoped, the sensations of their last session flooding his memory.

 

Kouga pressed his lips back against Inuyasha’s, the hanyou’s ardour reassuring, before pulling away and falling back to free his hands to run over his lover in return. “This… is to mate, yes?”

 

Inuyasha grinned and kissed the wolf’s chest. “What a stupid question.”

 

Kouga’s mind was clouding with impulse as the Inuyasha worked lower. “B-because before I also said that you could come back if-“

 

“Yes.” Inuyasha ran his hands up and down Kouga’s legs as he settled between them, nipping at the skin just above his hip.

 

“’Yes,’ what?”

 

“Yes. To mate.” Inuyasha pulled the cord of Kouga’s loincloth and separated the folds of the pelt, quickly exposing Kouga’s growing, pulsing shaft. He wrapped his fingers around it and pumped it once before kissing just below the wolf’s navel. “I can’t say I haven’t been curious about this,” he said. He stuck out his tongue and licked the underside of Kouga’s head, then used it to guide his lips down the rigid member and back up and off. “The taste isn’t bad.” He pumped it a couple more times. “I don’t quite know what I was expecting, but I’m having fun.”

 

Kouga moaned, “Kami, Inuyasha…” His head was absolutely whirling. He placed his hands on the sides of the hanyou’s head and brought their lips together between them. “There’s time for that later.” He pulled the hanyou over him as he leaned back again, their cocks rubbing together between them. Kouga licked Inuyasha’s lips, and the other returned the favor, tongues teasing fangs and each other. The wolf ground his hips up against Inuyasha’s, eliciting moans from both of them. Inuyasha rocked his hips in return, and the two were rubbing back and forth as their tongues writhed and hands explored territory growing increasingly familiar to each of them.

 

Inuyasha felt the tug of Kouga’s foreskin on his stomach, and he knew how nice it must have felt from the way his own was pulled by Kouga’s skin. The fangs in Kouga’s mouth were a nice touch – he’d never kissed a demon like this before – and the slight bit of pain only made the softer parts of Kouga’s mouth even nicer.

 

Kouga, on the other hand, had never been kissed like this before at all, nerve endings in his mouth and on his tongue coming alive in ways he’d only imagined. It brought him closer to Inuyasha than the other kisses, they were already inside each other, probing and filling and inviting and searching. Inuyasha was right there, so warm, all of the hanyou tight against him.

 

Inuyasha’s fire was well stoked, and he separated his face from Kouga’s. “I need more of you, Kouga,” he said. “You have a bottle around here, right?”

 

Kouga’s heart trilled. He nodded and pointed a hand over toward the near wall. Inuyasha crawled to where Kouga indicated and found it easily. Inuyasha smirked. “Keeping it handy?”

 

Kouga propped himself up on an arm and grinned back. “What’d you expect? It’s not easy to keep my hands away when I’m thinking about you.”

 

Inuyasha returned with the bottle and knelt upright, taking the cork out and putting a little less on his hand than he had the last time they were together. He reached down and coated Kouga’s member in it. “It’s not easy for me to keep my hands away from you either.”

 

“So I see.” Kouga watched, listening to the wet sounds of the salve and relishing the attention being paid by the other demon. The other times he’d bred things were so hurried and it was a nice change of-

 

Inuyasha leaned forward and claimed Kouga’s lips once more before hovering his face, eyes half-shut with desire, close to the wolf demon’s. “If I am to become your mate,” he began. “You will have to take me as such, yes?” He pumped Kouga’s cock again.

 

“Inuyasha… but you’ve never…”

 

“Kouga, I can handle it. I want it,” Inuyasha replied. “Besides, you did this last time. It’s my turn. I want you to lose yourself in me” He pushed the wolf demon back and straddled his hips, pressing Kouga’s legs together with his own. He placed a hand on Kouga’s chest to steady himself and reached behind, feeling around for the other’s length.

 

“Inuyasha…” Kouga fumbled mentally for a word to use, and he settled on the first one he found. “Inu-kun, this… isn’t generally how this is done.”

 

Inuyasha’s growing frustration faded as his mate-to-be addressed him so familiarly. It felt nice to be referred to again with such affection. He rested back on his calves and on his partner’s thighs. He put his hands on Kouga’s stomach and smiled. “Please tell me that’s not going to stick,” he joked.

 

Kouga grinned. “Oh, I think it will.” He curled up and Inuyasha met him halfway for a kiss. “You should get on your hands and knees, Inu-kun. It’s what I’m used to and Ginta and Hakkaku said this should be a little easier on you, too.”

 

Inuyasha laughed. “No, seriously, don’t call me that,” he said. “And that position isn’t high on dignity, is it?”

 

 “As much dignity as can be granted the mate of a leader,” Kouga said, “so quite a bit, actually.”

 

Inuyasha cocked an eyebrow. “Good point.” He was puzzled at how this would work, but Kouga’s hands soon guided him around, Kouga’s lips tracing around his hip and on his back, hands running up and down the hanyou’s sides. Kouga kissed up his spine and the pressure of the wolf’s body against him pushed Inuyasha forward on his hands. His hair cascaded over his shoulder, and the nip of Kouga’s fangs on his ears shot tendrils of pleasure down his spine and to every corner of his body. “Kami, you’re good.”

 

“I’ve had some practice,” Kouga growled low. “Now relax as best you can.” Kouga lifted off of him, and Inuyasha felt Kouga’s weight settle into the wolf’s legs that were pressing against his own.  He felt a lot of energy coming from Kouga’s crouch, and soon he felt the head of the wolf’s member sliding across his opening. It was a light tickling that danced between his legs and bubbled at the base of his shaft.

 

“Mn, that feels nice.” Inuyasha moaned.

 

“Is it?” Kouga asked.

 

“Yeah,” Inuyasha answered. “Why?” And with that, Kouga started pressing his head against Inuyasha’s entrance. The hanyou gasped as the sensations shot up his spine the other direction. It felt good, and Inuyasha only knew he wanted more. He rested his head on his forearms.

 

“Because we’re just getting started.” Kouga pushed his tip into the hole slowly and felt the ring of muscle slowly give way. “Let me know if it hurts.”

 

Inuyasha shook his head. He wanted to snap back at Kouga, but there was no way he was delaying things further when he felt like this. “No, it’s incredible. Keep going.”

 

“Okay.” Kouga gripped Inuyasha’s hips and pressed his length in further, sliding easily in with Inuyasha’s eagerness and the salve.

 

Inuyasha felt his legs melt, and felt himself… He just FELT. It must be how females feel, he thought, and he understood the other side of that oneness. He pressed back against Kouga some more, only to find the wolf’s hips right there. It caused a little discomfort, but he figured it had to be the same thing that Kouga had experienced last time. He knew it wouldn’t hurt the next time. His cock also felt full, the sensations starting to collect low in his body in a way that seemed more physical than usual. It just felt… complete.

 

Then Kouga started to move.

 

The thrusts started slow and long, and Inuyasha grew more accustomed with each one, moving just behind Kouga’s movements, letting Kouga push him forward, and following the wolf back to have him push forward against the hanyou’s hips again. The filling and the pulling and the pushing touched places inside Inuyasha he didn’t know he had, and each time it got easier and felt nicer.

 

“Getting the hang of this, are you?” Kouga asked.

 

“I think so,” Inuyasha replied.

 

“Still doing alright?”

 

Inuyasha scoffed. “Yeah. More than alright.”

 

Kouga hunched forward and aligned the tight curve of his stomach once again with Inuyasha’s back. “You’re doing a lot better than I was.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yes.” Kouga started moving again, accenting his faster thrusts and nearly bouncing as he rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet.  “You actually enjoy this.”

 

“Oh, I do.” He felt every inch of Kouga’s cock sliding in and out, and he had no idea what it was brushing along the way, but every time he hit it Inuyasha felt a little bit fuller, the sensation in his own member tingling a little more and spreading even further across his body. It slowly reached his fingertips, and he kept crashing back into Kouga’s thrusts to push it higher. “Nn… Don’t stop, Kouga.”

 

“Heh. I don’t know if I can,” Kouga replied through gasps. His hanyou was enjoying himself, and so was he. The thrusts were so easy, Inuyasha’s walls tight around him, occasionally squeezing with a twitch from his lover that brought him closer to his own release. He wrapped his arms around Inuyasha’s stomach and put more of his weight on the hanyou’s back. His hips started thrusting hard and erratically, frantically seeking that last bit of friction.

 

The shift of Kouga’s weight, holding him in place, made his pushing back impossible– not that he needed to keep reciprocating anymore. The redoubled effort of the pack leader was doing fine on its own, going deeper, faster, dancing across the nerves of his whole body, and he felt like he was dancing on the edge. He shifted his weight to a forearm and reached a hand down underneath him to his neglected member. The first down stroke revealed he was a lot closer than he thought. The next thrust from Kouga pushed his cock along his hand enough to send another jolt of pleasure along his length, and as soon as he realized one more stroke would send him over, Kouga pounded into him again.

 

 “Ah!” Inuyasha yelped as his entire body came alive, sighing in near-whimpers as the euphoria washed over him in waves. He spurted onto the pillows below and his body clenched onto Kouga’s still-thrusting member, every push from the wolf demon seeming to start the cycle over again.

 

Kouga lowered his forehead against Inuyasha’s back and rode the hanyou’s orgasm for all it was worth, thrusting fast and hard to push himself to his own climax. He closed his eyes and grunted as his lover’s body squeezed him. He huffed as his pleasure crested, gasping as his seed pumped into Inuyasha’s hole. His hips pushed every time his cock pulsed, drawing out the feeling as long as possible.

 

Inuyasha collapsed, his fingertips tingling and head spinning, delirious from his prolonged release. Kouga fell with him, releasing the hanyou and resting on his elbows, still buried inside Inuyasha. He kissed his mate’s shoulder as his senses started to return. “So that’s it.”

 

Inuyasha’s voice came muffled through the pillows. “That’s… sorry? What?”

 

Kouga laughed and smiled, content. “That’s it. It’s done.” He slid out of Inuyasha and flopped on his side facing the hanyou.

 

Inuyasha turned his head toward Kouga. “That.” He raised his eyebrows. “Was incredible.”

 

“Good to know. Because you have a lot of that to look forward to.” Kouga reached a hand up and touched one of Inuyasha’s ears.

 

Inuyasha shuddered and flinched away. “Whoooaaaa, don’t do that,” he said. “I mean, it doesn’t hurt or something, it’s just… things are very sensitive right now. Moreso than usual.”

 

“Sorry,” Kouga said, still smiling, bringing his hand back.

 

Inuyasha relaxed again, letting out a long sigh before rolling on his side to face Kouga. “So that’s it.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Inuyasha took a moment to grow a little more accustomed to the sky blue eyes of his new mate before leaning in to kiss him. He rested a hand on Kouga’s waist and pulled away from the kiss. “Okay.”

 

“Okay.”

 

The hanyou’s humanity spiked back into play. There were a lot of implications now. What was he going to do about the other wolves? What would Ayame say about him giving in? Would the fact that he’d be mated with as a female would come into play? “I don’t know what happens now,” he said.

 

“Well, I think now we clean up and possibly do this again down in the hot spring,” Kouga said with a grin.

 

“No, smartass,” Inuyasha said.  It was too late to do anything about it now anyway. “I guess my fears are all just cropping up again.”

 

Kouga concernedly furrowed his brow. “Which ones?”

 

“Things are really different now, aren’t they?”

 

Kouga shook his head. “They’re as different as you want them to be, I think. You’re still you. I’m still me. I’m the leader, you are my trusted advisor. You are my kinsman – even moreso now than you were before.”

 

‘Kinsman’ settled into Inuyasha’s mind and it soothed him. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right,” he said, a corner of his mouth turning up. Things were the same. He didn’t have to act like things were normal, because they actually were normal.

 

“Don’t tell me we’re going to have to go over this every time we have sex,” Kouga said with a laugh.

 

“Nah,” Inuyasha said. “I don’t think it’ll come up again.”

 

“Good,” Kouga said. “Now let’s get this taken care of, shall we?” He brought his legs underneath him and kneeled, surveying the mess.

 

“Probably a good idea,” Inuyasha said as he tried to bring himself to a kneeling position. His strength had not quite yet returned to his arms, however, and Kouga caught him.

 

“Careful,” the wolf said. “I guess I really did get you pretty good there.”

 

“Yeah, I told you so.” Inuyasha said, gripping onto Kouga for stability. “Though I didn’t know it’d have this much effect on me either.” He gathered his feet below him and pushed off of Kouga to stand. Blood rushed to his head and he started to fall over, but he caught himself.

 

Kouga quickly stood and again steadied his hanyou. “Easy!”

 

Inuyasha closed his eyes for a moment and let the ground stop moving below him. “I’m fine. I’m fine.”

 

“Okay,” Kouga said. He let go of Inuyasha tentatively, and sure enough the half demon held his stance. Kouga bent over and picked up his pelt, tying it around his waist. “Think you can handle walking?”

 

Inuyasha wasn’t certain, but he would bet that even if he couldn’t handle it, Kouga would be quick to put his arm around him and be his crutch until he got his legs back. Not bad for a worst case scenario. “Yeah, let’s go.”

 

After a couple unsure steps, Inuyasha’s balance was completely back. He put his kosode back on, Kouga picked up the soiled pillows, and the pair took again to the hallway. Inuyasha still wasn’t entirely sure how things were going to work moving forward – only time would tell that – but his instincts told him that, in the end, they would.


	8. Stay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They've made their bed - now they have to lay in it.

A few weeks later, the trees were starting to blossom. The mating time had passed and the den was usually empty with wolves out on patrols or hunting for food. Inuyasha’s membership in the tribe showed in the way he dressed. For his loincloth, his hakama were shortened to cinch at the knees instead of the ankles. For his dou, the sleeves were detached from his red jacket, and he stopped wearing his kosode, freeing his shoulders and arms. He wore Ayame’s leggings, minus the foot wraps, and a pair of arm bracers standard for the adult males. He finally fit in. He was finally happy. For the first time in his life, he was truly accepted.

 

A small hut had been erected above the falls to act as a trading post with their partners, to save the farmers from driving their carts down the narrow road beside the river, and also to keep the less-than-diplomatic wolves from having fresh meat brought into their home.  It had been Inuyasha’s idea, and since Kouga was busy dealing with internal matters, the hanyou took it upon himself to man it.

 

Being such a prominent figure, the private life of an alpha is common knowledge. They can see who his mate is. The guest room in the den was empty. Inuyasha and Kouga went to bed together. No announcement needed to be made, and no public displays were required. When wolves stay together after mating season, their status is just known - those who left the pack and those who joined the pack. These were the facts and they were accepted by everyone, without question, as they always had been...  
  
Except, that is, for Kanta and Ayame.

 

Inuyasha was sorting goods that had just arrived at the outpost when he heard someone else enter. “Yes? How can I help you?” he asked as he stood.

 

Ginta stood in the doorway. “Inu-kun?” the silver and black-haired wolf asked.

 

Inuyasha smiled and leaned on the counter. The nickname was growing on him after all. “I’m gonna have to have Kouga’s ass for that later.” Or the other way around.

 

“Well…” Ginta fidgeted. “You might want to wait a while for that…” He lowered his head. “I don’t think he needs any more conflict right now.”

 

Inuyasha’s ears perked. “Conflict?”

 

Ginta clasped his hands and raised his eyes. “Kanta.”

 

“Dammit!” He pounded the counter. He made his way quickly around to the front of the hut. “Watch this until I get back!” he said on his way out the door.

 

“Uh-okay?” Ginta half-said.

 

\-------

 

Kouga stood, crossed his arms, and grimaced. “Didn’t you try this already?” he asked, blue eyes glaring down from the dais.

 

Kanta beamed smugly. “That was before.”

 

“Before what?”

 

“Before you mated with that mutt,” the hulking wolf said with derision.

 

Kouga scoffed. “No one here cares about that! Haven’t for years!”

 

“Actually,” Ayame’s voice cut in from nearby, “they do.” She emerged from the passage leading to the dais.

 

“Oh, come on!” Kouga said. “Since when?”

 

Ayame grinned. “You see, Kanta and I have something that you and Inuyasha never will.” She placed her hands gingerly over her lower stomach and looked down at it, her gaze softening. “We need to be examples, Kouga. We need to show our people how to live, how we survive, what it means to be a wolf.”

 

“I thought you were happy for us,” Kouga said. “Inuyasha told me you were happy.”

 

“I was,” she said. “I am happy.” She smirked and glared up at him. “I can have my people back now. With a family at the top. The way they should be. The way we should have been.”

 

Kouga huffed, his pulse quickening. “How dare you…” He broadened his stance and crouched slightly, gathering his fury inside him and releasing it in a powerful howl. “Let’s ask them about that.” Wolves filtered into the main chamber.

 

“Kouga!” Inuyasha’s voice preceded him in the hall as he arrived, panting for breath. Kouga and Ayame looked down at the hanyou. Kanta looked down at him despite standing right beside him. Inuyasha sized up the wolf in return. “I thought so,” he spat.

 

“You lose, bitch,” Kanta spat back.

 

“What was that?”

 

“You heard me,” Kanta said, tossing his head back. “You take it from Kouga, and that makes you a bitch. And those women’s furs don’t help things any.”

 

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

 

“Your leg furs.” Kanta laughed. “Why do you think Ayame gave those to you?”

 

“I oughta…” Inuyasha planted his feet, spread his arms, and flexed his fingers, bringing his claws to bear.

 

Kanta smiled broadly. “Are you challenging the new alpha, bitch?”

 

“Feh! You’ve gotta be the one with the balls to be the alpha,” Inuyasha quipped. Kanta growled and swung a punch at the hanyou, but Inuyasha was ready and jumped back.  “And I’m not just going to stand here while my mate is up there on the dais!” Inuyasha yelled over the din of the growing crowd. He turned and ran to the nearest tunnel.

 

Kanta ran to the opposite side of the  chamber.

 

\-------

“Let’s end this once and for all,” Kouga said to Ayame before turning to the assembled pack. “My wolves!” Kouga’s voice boomed. The crowd quieted. “I have been issued a challenge by my own wife. She says that you all feel that I am no longer an appropriate leader for all of us. I know all of you are accepting people. You’ve embraced Ginta and Hakkaku, and I know that some of you enjoy some, let’s say, alternative breeding partners apart from your mates. This isn’t unusual. And almost all of you ensure yourselves that your children grow up to continue the fruitfulness of this den.” He spread his arms plaintively. “You don’t need your leader to be an example for this. I have provided for this den for so long. I have ensured our safety, I have protected us from human expansion – we are prosperous! We are more secure than we’ve been since before the days of Naraku!” A rumbling went up from the wolves below.

 

“All of those things we could have under our leadership.” Ayame’s voice pierced the air and quieted the muddled crowd. “To think that I am incapable of all the same as well as providing an example is nothing but looking down on me for being female. I have watched you. I have advised you. I know every facet of this den’s operations. But you also failed months ago in your negotiations with the nearby human village. You fail providing an example for our children and our trading partners of what kind of tribe we are. You failed years ago in introducing ‘marriage’ to us all. I don’t think anyone here can tell me what that even means. You told us all it was what merged my tribe and your pitiful pack, told me that it would bring us together like we were mates…” She sniffed. “You told me it would make my dreams come true!” She howled mournfully, and some wolves below echoed it – the females first, their pups second, the mates third.

 

Kouga took a deep breath. It was pitiful, but it was working. She was persuasive. She was powerful, and Kouga always knew it. He spoke to her. “I thought we had an agreement. I thought you understood. I thought you respected me telling you the truth.”

 

She snarled at him. “And what you never understood was that you took advantage of me. You took advantage of my position of my weakness for you, so I took advantage of your trust. As it turns out, in the end, I have to look out only for myself and my people.”

 

“Well, to be honest, I can’t say I didn’t expect this.”

 

Ayame smiled. “Then you are ready for what happens next?”

 

“I am.” Kouga smiled in kind. “But are you?”

 

She scoffed as Inuyasha arrived on the dais. “Is that supposed to scare me?” she asked. “You’ve done nothing I can’t do!”

 

“It should,” he said, turning to leave. “C’mon Inuyasha.” He clapped a hand on the hanyou’s shoulder as he passed.

 

Inuyasha turned after him. “But she-“

 

Kouga turned back and put his hands on Inuyasha’s shoulders. “C’mon.”

 

“Kouga, you can’t just-“ Inuyasha pleaded.

 

He kissed his mate. “Trust me, Inuyasha, I had to. I’ll explain. There was no other way.” He gripped one of Inuyasha’s wrists and pulled the hanyou along.

 

Inuyasha was jerked off balance and stumbled along behind the wolf demon. “Kouga!”

 

“She got us this time. She cornered us. We need to get our things and get out.” He led Inuyasha briskly through the tunnels. “At least she waited until spring arrived. We’ll have a couple seasons to find a new home and settle in.”

 

“We what?” Inuyasha tried to keep up with Kouga’s pace both physically and mentally. “We don’t have long. We can’t hang around here. Trust me, I know how this works. I’m sorry Inuyasha. I don’t know where we’re sleeping tonight.”

 

“Will you stop pulling me around?” Inuyasha asked, yanking his wrist away, rubbing it. “I can follow you on my own. And will you stop compelling me to trust you? You don’t have to do that.”

 

“Sorry, I just don’t want you thinking we have a choice. I just need to get Ginta and Hakkaku and we’ll be off.” They drew nearer to the pair’s quarters.

 

Kouga had a point. “Ginta’s watching the post for me. Should I go get him?” Inuyasha asked.

 

Kouga nodded. “Yes, you probably should. Fill him in on what happened. He’ll understand.”

 

“Right. Will he need to come back to get anything?”

 

Kouga laughed. “Do you need to get anything? Do I need to get anything?”

 

Inuyasha pondered that for a moment. He really didn’t have anything to get. He arrived with nothing but the clothes on his back and Tetsusaiga at his side. Kouga’s quarters were bare except for the bed, which they certainly couldn’t take with them. As for Inuyasha’s clothes, there was the matter of his unused sleeves. He’d removed them in order to fit in, to show his good faith in joining the tribe. “My sleeves,” he said. “I want them back. If I can’t be a part of this tribe, what’s the damn point?”

 

Kouga stopped and turned on his heel.  Inuyasha almost ran into him. “You are still a part of my pack,” he replied as he stared at Inuyasha’s chest with a bit of a pout on his face, grabbing the lapel of Inuyasha’s now-tunic. “You are still a part of my tribe.” He tugged a bit and lightly punched Inuyasha’s chest. “And this is how we dress.”

 

Inuyasha nodded. “I’m sorry. I got it.” He raised his hand, closed it around Kouga’s, and the wolf’s grip lightened. He lowered it. “I’d still like the fabric. It might prove useful as a sack or blanket or pillow or something.”

 

“Okay,” Kouga assented. “I’ll get them. Just go get Ginta.”

 

“We’ll meet at the post?”

 

Kouga nodded again. “Sure.” With that, the two parted.

 

The kiss just outside the dais lingered oddly on Inuyasha’s lips. He felt connected to Kouga, trusted him completely, was confident he’d made the right choice, but the change of season must have had some kind of effect on him. It was too casual, perhaps, too forward. Or maybe it just wasn’t exactly the time to be all mushy. Regardless, Kouga was the demon he wanted to stand beside him from here on out. Somehow Kagome had gotten her wish.

 

Kagome… he deigned to think of her briefly during mating season, but what now? He owed her his thanks, and while he knew that she must feel it, it wasn’t quite enough. He needed a final goodbye, and with that thought, he knew some piece of their plan after leaving – they had to go back to the village. Everyone that knew him would wonder what happened to him. They’d probably hate the changes in him, but he didn’t care. They may not like it, but this was between him and Kagome and Kouga. No one else mattered. No one else ever did, when he thought about it.

 

He arrived at the outpost and shared the news with Ginta. The wolf listened eagerly and didn’t flinch. His loyalty empowered Inuyasha further. They’d survived with Kouga through the terror of Naraku, so they could handle anything. Inuyasha had done the same with his friends, and now they were both kinsmen with each other.

 

 Kouga and Hakkaku weren’t far behind. The pairs met, the mohawked wolf rushing to his mate as Inuyasha and Kouga stood side by side, heads turned and staring into each other’s eyes as parents ushering their family into an uncertain next chapter in their lives but confident it would be a short journey to better times.

 

\-------

 

It took a week to reach Inuyasha’s old village, and he grew increasingly nervous as they drew nearer. He hadn’t seen it in nearly six years, and while it didn’t seem long to the hanyou, he knew how much of a difference it made in human lives. He wondered if Shippo was any less whiny, how Rin’s charges were faring at the temple, what came of Miroku and Sango’s great-grandchildren that were coming of age soon after his departure. They would likely have children of their own by now, and Inuyasha had none to speak of.

 

He and Kagome had another agreement – to not muddy the mystical blood in her veins nor taint any further the demon blood in his - for fear of the effect of either as they developed in her womb. Instead, they treated the entire village as their family as Kouga did his pack. Perhaps one day, to help repopulate the pack, he and Kouga would breed with females and keep the pups. He would like that.

 

But for now, the village awaited. He recognized the paths, streams, and paddies around him and decades of memories flooded him, from the overly sentimental to the sweetly mundane. He took a deep breath, trying to exorcise the last of the shrinking knot of doubt in his chest.

 

Ginta and Hakkaku followed the pair silently. They weren’t their usual selves; it seemed Inuyasha’s melancholy was contagious. They were aware why they were here, which certainly couldn’t have helped. They missed Kagome too, after all.

 

Kouga put his arm around Inuyasha as they walked. “Nervous?”

 

“A bit, yeah,” Inuyasha replied. “I left without really saying goodbye, not that there was much of anyone left to say goodbye to, and now I come back looking the part of the wolf demon with you as my new mate.”

 

Kouga furrowed his brow. “You’re worried?”

 

“I’m not sure if I’m returning home of if I’m just visiting some village.”

 

“You’re with me,” Kouga said with a smile. “Of course you’re home!”

 

Inuyasha scowled. “Just saying things like that doesn’t change anything.”

 

“Well, I’m here regardless.”

 

“Much better.”

 

There were new huts and houses along the road, and Inuyasha was glad to see the village was still expanding. It too had grown up without him.

 

“You know,” Inuyasha began, “never mind. You’re right. This isn’t my village anymore. Let’s do this and get out.”

 

Kouga looked concerned. “If that’s what you want to do, Inuyasha.”

 

“It is.”

 

As they made their way to the village center, Kouga noticed something unusual – even more unusual and amazing because it had taken so long to notice - there were demons living here, too. Together with the humans, without the separation of fear, interacting, smiling together. The two groups blended together so well they were indistinguishable at first glance. It was such a far cry from the treatment he was used to: the clearing of streets, peering from windows, and points of spears. These were the more human-looking kind of demons, or at least demons assuming their most human-like form, but it was still impressive.

 

Even a demon like him could make his way here.

 

“Inuyasha?” a shrill voice pierced through the crowd. Kouga couldn’t tell if it was male or female. His mate’s ears perked. “Inuyasha, is that you?” Whoever they were, they sounded happy to see him.

 

Inuyasha looked around for anyone familiar that could sound so young, and he spotted the fiery orange hair weaving its way quickly through the sea of strangers. He beamed. “Shippo!” He wasn’t quite sure where the smile came from, and his initial excitement quickly inverted to fear.

 

“Inuyasha!” Shippo bounced up to the hanyou, his tail waving excitedly, before taking note of his outfit, then his traveling companions. “And… Kouga?” The fox’s brow furrowed.

 

Kouga’s hackles raised, and he cocked his hip and raised his chin. “In the flesh.”

 

“Inuyasha, what happened?” Shippo asked tentatively.

 

He was let down that he got the reaction he was expecting, and he hadn’t even mentioned being mated to Kouga yet. “I joined the wolf tribe,” Inuyasha added matter-of-factly.

 

“I see…” Shippo trailed off. “You were gone so long, I started wondering if you were okay.”

 

“Well, I am. And don’t worry, we’re just passing through,” Inuyasha said. "I thought I’d stop by.”

 

“Oh, no!” Shippo said, frantically waving his hands. “That’s not what I meant! It’s good to see you!”

 

Inuyasha looked around. “Yes, and it’s good to see the town doing so well without me, too,” Inuyasha said.

 

Shippo nodded. He knew this tone, and his head sank in defeat. “It hasn’t ever stopped growing,” he said. “It’s one of the few places where humans and demons seem to be able to live together.” He hesitated before adding “Because of you, Inuyasha.”

 

Inuyasha shrugged. “Feh,” he scoffed. “See you ‘round sometime.” Inuyasha continued across the square, the wolves following close behind. Ginta and Hakkaku smiled and bowed at Shippo as they passed.

 

“Yeah…” Shippo said softly, his shoulders sinking.

 

Kouga sighed after they left the crowd. “That was abrupt,” he said.

 

“I just want to get this over with,” Inuyasha said.

 

“Wasn’t that your friend back there?” Kouga asked.

 

“Yeah,” the hanyou muttered as he steamed.

 

“Funny. I couldn’t tell from the way you were snapping at him,” Kouga said.

 

Inuyasha spun around. “You got something you wanna say?” He prodded Kouga’s dou with his claw.

 

Kouga stood confident. “Yeah. I haven’t seen you like this since the Naraku days. What the hell has gotten into you?”

 

“Did you see how he looked at us and talked to us?” Inuyasha asked. “I don’t want to stick around any longer than I have to when the only other person I know here is going to treat me like that.”

 

Kouga put his hands on Inuyasha’s shoulders. “Hey, calm down, okay?” His eyes pleaded with Inuyasha’s, and he took the first momentary softening he was granted. “It wasn’t that bad. And if you gave him the chance he’d apologize.”

 

Inuyasha’s eyes lowered in thought.

 

“Not that you’d apologize back to him anyway,” Kouga added with a sigh. “Inuyasha, I don’t know where or how either of us are going to make any new friends anymore. I think I’d at least make sure to hang onto the ones I’ve got.”

 

Inuyasha’s stubbornness met its immovable object, and hearing Kagome’s words from Kouga’s mouth brought him crashing back to his senses. He shook off the impact. “Wow. I… don’t know what came over me.”

 

“That dumb ‘fear’ thing you inherited,” Kouga provided.

 

Inuyasha took a deep breath to center himself. “I suppose so.” He took a look back toward the bustling square. He’d have to find Shippo later. But he truly didn’t want to stay any longer than he had to. If he lingered, regardless of how small his connection to the village was anymore, he may not want to leave. But then again, he realized, it was already too late for that. “I’m going to go on ahead,” he said. “You guys wait here for a bit and we can be on our way.”

 

\-------

 

Kagome’s grave was right next to the well, away from the cemetery where the rest of the townspeople were buried. The idea of the town even having a cemetery was relatively foreign to Inuyasha. After Kaede died, the village was small enough and most of the other initial settlers were close enough to Kagome’s age that there wasn’t even officially an area set aside for that purpose for a few more decades, after the rest of that first generation began to perish.

 

The well itself acted as her grave marker – who else should be buried at the Higurashi Well? And how else should the shrine around it have come by its name in the first place? - and Inuyasha knelt before it, alone, as he had so many times waiting for her to return to his era during Naraku’s terror. There were moments during those days he wondered if she ever would come back. This time he knew she wasn’t. And this time he was the one coming back to her.

 

He began by telling her as much, and continued. “But this is the last time, too,” he said. “Thank you for everything. I’m still not sure exactly how I’ve pulled this off, and I’m sure it’ll shock you, but I’m mated again. To Kouga now. He’s a great guy. I know he always treated you well. He treats everyone well.” He paused, unsure what else to say. “Everything was great with you. We loved each other. And I owe you so much for that.” He felt like he should be crying, or at least a little upset, but he was calm. It was unsettling. “I’m sorry I can’t say I miss you more than I do. I mean, I miss you a lot. I always will. Your smile, your laugh, your touch. But…” While his head played back their times together, his heart was simply quiet. No, not ‘simply’ quiet. Content. He smiled. “But we were great. Amazing, the things we accomplished together.”

 

There was a rustling behind him and he snapped his head around.

 

Kouga stood at the edge of the clearing with a carefully arranged bunch of flowers. He crossed over to the well and laid it in on the ledge.

 

“How long have you been standing there?” Inuyasha asked.

 

“Not long at all,” the wolf replied, kneeling beside him and bowing his head. “I just figure I should pay my respects as well.” He clasped his hands in front of him and closed his eyes.

 

Inuyasha continued addressing Kagome’s spirit silently. Despite his initial flare at Kouga’s company, he felt even more comfortable with the wolf there. Despite his eyes being closed, he felt Kouga’s proximity, a certain soothing warmth that he felt all along the side of his body.  Kagome had always fought for fairness and acceptance, and seemed to get along well with Ginta and Hakkaku, so the fact that he and Kouga were both males would surely not have been an issue for her.

 

Kouga’s thanks were quick and sincere, and after spending a moment enjoying the silence of the three of them together, watching his mate calmly meditating, he spoke. “We don’t have to leave, you know. We could settle here, the four of us.”

 

Inuyasha shook his head, then opened his eyes and stared off into the forest. “I don’t want to. There’s nothing left for me here. There are hundreds more people in this village now. My memories of it are a shadow of what it is today.”

 

“You don’t honestly believe that, do you?” Kouga asked. “It doesn’t have to stay that way. You took my den from how I always knew it and brought it to a place where it could trade with human villages! You aren’t some kind of relic; you’re always growing. You made me grow. All we have to do is keep going.”

 

“Kouga…” Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

 

Kouga reached over and squeezed Inuyasha’s leg. “I know you miss it. I saw the way you looked as we drew closer. I felt it. The village may not the same, but it still feels like home to you, doesn’t it?”

 

Inuyasha’s conflicting sides wrestled for a long moment before he gave up and nodded in concession. “What would we do here?”

 

“The same thing we did before. We hunt and trade. We just live in a hut instead of a cave.”

 

“You sure formed that plan fast.”

 

“It’s what we do. We have to think on our feet.”

 

“You wolves are awfully impulsive.”

 

Kouga grinned. “I know.” He leaned in close to Inuyasha. “Hasn’t steered you wrong yet, has it?”

 

Inuyasha glanced at him from the corners of his eyes and smiled. “Nope. Just got you banished from your tribe is all.”

 

“Okay then.” Kouga kissed the hanyou’s cheek and stood. “Sounds like we have a plan.”

 

Inuyasha offered a quick goodbye and stood as well. “Yes, sir.”

 

Kouga raised an eyebrow. “’Sir?’”

 

“You’re the alpha, right?”

 

“It seems to depend on the night,” Kouga quipped.

 

“It does, yes.” Inuyasha smirked knowingly.

 

Kouga smiled. “Well then.”

 

And the pair disappeared into the trees, their laughter and discussions of where they’d sleep that night and who they’d contact the next day fading back to the clearing until the only sound left was the rustling of the leaves in the spring air.


End file.
